Vows II: Duty
by Zarathustra46
Summary: Sequel to Vows. Join the Snapes as they try to determine why an escaped prisoner is heading straight towards Hogwarts and seems to want to attack Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: General notice: Not mine, just borrowed to play with. I want to thank Les Dowich for, once again, pushing me to publish this - thanks my friend I'll send all the trashy reviews your way to skewer with your pen. Just kidding. If you are a steady reader of my stories, you will notice that this one is compilation of sorts. There will be two older stories of mine mixed in with this one, just because they fit perfectly and I get off on playing with the POV. It is a distinct failing of mine. So if you recognise those bits, you are not hullicinating, nor is it a stange form of de ja vue. Some of those bits will be tweaked a bit to fit this story and it's outline. So, without further adieu, here is:**

**Duty**

Chapter 1

Water slowly dripped down the dark, mossy stone walls of the cell; cold and acrid in its feel and smell. The occupant sat hunched in a corner, his limbs twitching from the pervasive cold that always surrounded the North Sea penitentiary as well as the chill that preceded the Dementors that made the daily rounds of the numerous levels of small cramped cells. The dreaded wraiths also would make an extra round ahead of Ministry visitors to make sure the occupants were in no shape to attack the visitors through the bars of their accommodations.

Today was such a day: the yearly inspection visit from the Minister of Magic himself. The prisoner shivered as a Dementor swept the corridor, but he crept forward to crouch near the bars, watching the long hallway; waiting to see why the Minister of Magic was walking down _his_ corridor. He didn't have long to wait and a few minutes later the familiar lime-green bowler was striding past the cells atop its owner's head, a small rabbit patronus circling his legs. The hat seemed to glow with an unearthly light, a beacon of neon colour in this monochromatic grey world. Fudge was accompanied by several officials and Aurors as they seemed to be making a detailed inspection of all the prisoners.

Grabbing with all his strength, he hoisted himself up to his feet and managed to lean casually against the iron wall as the party made its way to his cell, letting the bars hold him up. It was false bravado, as anyone who could clearly see would obviously detect; but Fudge was known to see only what he wanted to see – and thus would be taken off guard by a seemingly un-affected prisoner. If anyone who had known this prisoner in his prime thirteen years ago could see him now – they would barely recognise him. His emaciated form was clothed in prison rags, and self inflicted tattoos covered his torso and hands. His once brightly shining mane of seventies fashionable hair, was now a tangled mess that hung halfway to his waist and his once well trimmed beard and moustache were scraggly reminders of their former glory, covering a face that was streaked by grime and had aged seemingly thirty years in the last decade of incarceration in the Hell Hole know as Azkaban.

The convict licked his cracked and bleeding lips as he espied a newspaper tucked under the Minister's arm. What he wouldn't give for a good read, something to occupy his mind while he sat in this god-forsaken hole year after year. His eyes snapped up to stare at the group as they stopped in front of his door.

"Sirius Black," the short pudgy politician announced, saying the name as if it stank like last week's net of fish. He kept an eye on the mass murderer and traitor as he accepted a thick file from one of his aides. He removed a pair of half-spectacles from his cloak pocket and perched them on his nose as he opened it up to read the latest entries.

"Fudge," Black croaked, his voice straining with under-use. A flick of the eyes in his direction was the only indication the Minister gave of acknowledging he had spoken.

"Well, everything seems to be in order," Cornelius Fudge stated as he flipped the file closed and handed it back to his aide before pocketing his spectacles again. "Prison seems to be mellowing you, Black. No major tantrums this year, no un-ending requests for a trial or to speak to Dumbledore. Are you finally giving up? You used to have much more spirit," he taunted.

Sirius had crossed his arms in front of his chest as he'd leaned against the bars, to keep them from visibly trembling, and so he only shrugged his shoulders at the Minister's jibe. "Perhaps after twelve years, it's finally sinking in that I'm stuck here. Can't complain, I have running water," he flicked a finger toward the steady stream of moisture along the far wall, "a place to lie down at night," the finger moved to indicate the pile of grey, rotten cloths piled in a corner, "an en suite," a point towards a self-emptying bucket in the opposite corner, "and three meals a day." A final sweep of the finger to a cracked, wooden bowl set near a slot in his door. He even managed a chuckle at the incredulous look on the politician's face.

"By the way, Minister, if you're finished with that, might I have your _Prophet_? I really miss doing the crossword." He leaned as close to the Minister as he could get until he was stopped by the bars. He crooked his finger at Fudge to lean in closer himself, which the man – after a discrete look around him – complied with, at least by a few inches. "I had to argue with the sorting hat, you know. It wanted me to go into Ravenclaw – but I wanted more fun than that! I insisted on Gryffindor!" He laughed outright, a hint of madness making it shriller than a normal hearty guffaw would have been.

Fudge shivered as he let his gaze wander over this obviously unhinged individual – and yet the man acted as if it was just a normal day and he was contemplating taking a walk in the park. Fudge finally waved a hand dismissively and levitated the prisoner his paper and a conjured up pencil stub as well, passing them through the bars. He was rewarded with a smile that could have passed for a grimace.

"Thanks, guv'nor!" Sirius said, tipping an imaginary hat to the group as they wandered on to the next set of cells. He waited until they were well on their way before retreating to the pile of cloths that alternated between acting as his couch or his bed. He opened up the paper, quickly flipping it back to its original order of pages, settling the folds into place before really looking at the contents in the dim light that filtered through the ventilation slits in the high walls.

A picture of an entire family of red-heads graced the centre of the page, all of them posing in front of the Egyptian pyramids. A nice looking family, he noted as he read the accompanying story. A minor ministry official had managed to win the Lottery and had celebrated by taking the entire flock of ginger-hairs to visit their oldest son in Egypt.

Most of the children looked old enough to be in Hogwarts, probably contemporaries of Harry's. He wondered if they knew him... He knew from the mutterings of the guards that Harry had sorted into Gryffindor; that had been big news along the block two years ago. He had felt so proud when he'd heard. He read more of the story and realised that the youngest boy was the same age as his godson and that the entire family were Gryffindors. He noted a head boy's badge gleaming on one of the older boy's Fez and watched as a pet rat peeked its nose out of the youngest boy's pocket and climbed onto his shoulder, washing its face with... he stared closer, not believing what he saw! The rat's paw had only four fingers! It was impossible, but there it was in front of him: Peter was alive! The man he was in prison for killing was alive and was staying in the same dormitory as Harry Potter!

Memories came flooding back to him, but he snapped out of them as he heard voices along the corridor again. He quickly flipped to the back page and started to work the crossword as he surrounded himself with an air of nonchalance.

"Enjoying the crossword, Black?" came the voice of the Minister at his door.

"Quite challenging, Minister, thank you!" Sirius replied as he pencilled in a few more boxes. He listened as the footsteps faded away then flipped the paper back around to stare once more at the traitorous little rat.

He had to escape, he had to go find Peter and make him finally pay for all he had done.

0000

Remus Lupin huddled in the shadows of his cloak, letting the dark grey wool hide his scarred visage from idle glances. A faint odour of wet goat permeated the room, and a film of dust covered the bottle of Butterbeer that sat in front of him. He unconsciously pushed the bottle around on the table, creating wet tracks of condensation on the ancient wooden trencher.

Looking around at his fellow customers, he catalogued and strategised their risk as he waited for his contact to arrive. These people would be horrified if they knew he was amongst them, a beast among men. But they didn't know, and he held the advantage. He took a small sip of his drink before placing it back on the table to resume its wanderings as he listened to the oldies station that was pouring out the warbling voice of Celestina Warbeck on the wireless.

A touch on his shoulder from the proprietor let him know that his patron had arrived and was waiting in the back room. He rose quickly from his seat, left a scattering of coins near the abandoned bottle of flat ale, and silently wove himself between the shadows of the room, eventually slipping down a rarely used hallway and into the storage room. The smell of goat truly pervaded the air back here and he wasn't surprised in the least when the horny head of a garbage scarfer emerged from around a corner, being led by none other than Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah, Bessie, that's a good girl – get a move on now, that's it... I'll see you next month, alright?" asked the distinguished headmaster. A short bleat was his only answer and he smiled as the goat nibbled a treat from Dumbledore's hand.

Remus let his hood fall back onto his shoulders as the goat made a dignified exit from the room, bell tinkling as it walked. "Are you a father confessor to ruminants now, Albus?" Remus enquired, a small smile seeming to erase many of the scars that criss-crossed his lower jaw.

"Ah, my dear Remus! Yes, well someone has to take their side while they live with my brother!" he acknowledged as he conjured two chintz-covered easy chairs that faced a tea table set for High Tea. He took a seat and indicated that Remus should take the opposite while he poured out and chose an assortment of sandwiches to set on his plate.

"Remus, I'm glad you could meet with me. I wish it could be in airier quarters, but for now this will do." Lupin took a sip of tea, letting the caffeine combat the depressive qualities of his previous beverage. He waited for Dumbledore to continue. He didn't have long to wait. "As you know, having attended Hogwarts yourself, I am constantly in need of replacing DADA professors; and I find myself in the same position once again." Remus perked up a little. This sounded promising, but he wouldn't get his hopes up.

"Yes, once again, I am in need of a new DADA professor for next term and I was wondering if I could interest you in the position?"

Bingo! "I'm flattered, Albus. I would love to help you out – it would let me be closer to Harry... but what about…" he waved his hand vaguely in the air. "How would we deal with that?" he asked honestly. This was the only reason he hadn't applied in the past.

"Severus has agreed to continue making your potion; we will have a secure room put aside for you... Really, it is much easier to deal with this now than it was, say, twenty years ago when you first started at Hogwarts; much safer for all concerned."

"Well you don't have to convince me, I would love to take on the job – curse or not. One year teaching Harry would be well worth having to leave at the end of the year; but what about Severus? Will he allow me to see Harry?"

"That is something you will need to discuss with Severus. He is quite protective of both of his boys – as you have seen."

"Both? Ah, he adopted Lucius' son, did he?"

"At Christmas," the headmaster acknowledged.

"They get along well?"

"As any pair of brothers do," Albus said, chuckling. "Severus is at wits ends trying to keep them entertained and out of his hair while they are home for the summer. But they only have a few weeks to go, I think they will all survive..." he cut himself off as the sound of raised voices reached them from the main room of the tavern. "I wonder what has happened." He rose from his chair and began to walk across the room towards the door when it crashed open and the wild looking owner of the bar stumbled in, fear in his eyes as he sought the matching blue pair that were standing directly in front of him.

"Just announced on the wireless..." he panted breathlessly. "Sirius Black has escaped!"

A crash of china was the only answer he received.

0000

Severus crumpled the slip of parchment in his fist. He thanked Merlin the boys were already outside, having bolted their breakfasts and grabbed their brooms to go practice over the garden before their guests arrived this afternoon for Harry's birthday party.

He had no need of opening the paper lying next to his saucer. He knew what it would say in the boldest type the _Prophet_ could scrounge up: **Notorious murderer and traitor, Sirius Black, has escaped from Azkaban**. Just the thought of it caused him to lose any semblance of an appetite. He fed the two owls - who had delivered his mail to him - some bacon rinds, placed a knut in the pouch for the paper delivery owl, then stood abruptly from the table and left the dining room heading for his personal lab.

When he reached there, he grabbed his favourite number six pewter cauldron, lit a fire underneath it and poured a standard healing base into it to begin simmering. The news that Black had escaped only brought back memories to the Potions Master. Memories of a titian-haired, firebrand of a friend – who, for a short time, was more than a friend. Remembrances of the past year; rescuing Harry from his relatives, discovering that Harry was his son, healing that son's mind with the help of a friend and his godson's love. Adopting the godson when it became apparent that his own home-life wasn't the ideal fiction that Lucius let the public see.

Severus added ingredients automatically; this particular brew being one that he could brew blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back. It was a draught that he made when he needed to think – and he had been raised with the 'idle hands do the demon's work' philosophy, so it was abhorrent to him to actually sit and ponder. Twenty minutes later a discrete pop alerted him to a House-elf's presence and he turned to see Runeskin standing nearby with his unopened copy of the _Daily_ _Prophet_ in his servant's hand.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Master Severus, but I don't think you intended to leave this out where your sons could see it."

Severus acknowledged the Chief Elf with a nod of his head. "You are correct, Runeskin, I would rather they hear the news from me. I'm not even sure Harry is aware that he has a godfather – much less that the man was responsible for the deaths of his parents," he mused out loud while delicately stirring in his latest ingredient watching as the brew changed and bubbled contentedly.

"If I may be so bold, Master Severus, you might wish to discuss it with him before his friends tell him this afternoon. It is sure to be the talk of the party..." Severus snapped his head up at this reminder and nearly hit himself in the forehead for being such a dolt. He quickly _evanesco-_ed the half-finished potion, levitating the cauldron to the sink for later cleaning, and headed out the doors in search of his sons. How could he have been wallowing so long in his own remembered nightmares from that time and not realise that the rest of the Wizarding world would be sensationalising the story and that it would have gone through several permutations and twistings by the time it arrived at his doorstep at three pm? He gave himself another mental shake as he exited the back of the manor and searched the sky over his vast property. Ah, there they were!

He gave a mental tug on his bond with Harry and, when the boy turned in the air towards him, waved him down to the ground. The two boys raced each other back to him, hugging their brooms and making themselves as aerodynamic as possible as they flew faster and faster, only to come to a screeching halt in front of their father.

"Who won?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"Draco won by a hair," Severus smirked as Harry pouted for a second then let the defeat roll over him.

The boy shrugged a bit before he retorted "I'll beat him next time." He peered up at his father, noting the worry lines in the older wizard's face. "Why did you call us in? We've only been out here for three quarters of an hour."

"I received some news this morning that I need to discuss with you two before your party guests arrive. You will need to know the truth before you hear some wild accusations, so you will know what rumours to put to rest. Go wash up, please, and join me in the Solarium in ten minutes."

The two boys nodded and headed towards the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

The beast whinged in the back of its throat; the scent was old and decayed. It hadn't been here in over a year. The house looked newer than its neighbours and he had sniffed all around the abode and its environs in the early morning false dawn detecting the scents of fresh paint and sawdust as well as old traces of fire and destruction mixed with terror and fear. He could also detect traces of his quarry; it was all over the lawn and the small garage and shed. He retreated under the box hedges planted against a new good-neighbour fence as a hired crew came and took care of the lawn work of the small, neat row house. Soon the young family came outside to bask in the sun out on the back porch, the red stain on the wood still smelling new. The black furred creature crept further backwards under the hedge, wrapping its tail around its snout as it curled up for a nap. It would investigate further after the sun went down.

* * *

"Have a seat, gentlemen," Severus said as he indicated the chairs around the table in the gazebo. A late morning pot of tea sat steaming in the centre, and a female house-elf, Daffy, poured out the tea for her masters then left with a snap of her fingers. Harry noticed a copy of the _Prophet_ sitting next to his father's place.

Severus took a sip of his tea before broaching the subject. "Harry, have you ever heard of a place called Azkaban?"

"Didn't you mention it once last summer?" his son asked, while Draco paled before setting his cup carefully down. "You said it was a prison in the Atlantic?"

"North Sea; but yes, very good for remembering. It is also where your Aunt is being held." Harry nodded as he remembered. "The prison is well guarded and was supposed to be completely secure. In its entire history there has not been one single successful breakout..."

"Until now," Draco breathed under his breath, looking up at his adoptive father with a look of fear.

Severus nodded once. "Correct, Draco; until now."

"Who?" the blond asked quietly.

Severus considered his second son for a moment before responding. "I will answer your question, Draco, but first I must ask Harry a few questions." He turned in his seat to face his heir. "Harry, did your aunt ever mention the fact that you have a godfather?"

Harry pondered this for a moment, searching his memories for any instance of that word applying to him. He finally had to conclude he hadn't. "No. I know Dudley has godparents – Aunt Petunia's best friend and her husband from school – but she never mentioned that I had any. Do I?"

"Unfortunately, yes you do," came the curt answer.

"_Unfortunately_?" Harry looked between his brother, who was still white as a sheet, and his father who was frowning over his tea cup. "Does this have something to do with that prison? You said someone's escaped." He rapidly put two and two together. "You mean my godfather was a prisoner there and has escaped!" His cup crashed to its saucer and tea sloshed over the rim, unnoticed.

"I'm afraid so, son." Severus took a deep breath before continuing. "Your godfather was your ahh... step-father's best friend. They did everything together: chased girls, pulled pranks, roamed the grounds at night... They had two other friends: Remus Lupin - whom you've met – and Peter Pettigrew, a small mousy sort of boy who followed the other three around like a puppy. When your family was warned of the Dark Lord's interest in you, they went into hiding under a charm called the _Fidelius_. It renders the knowledge of something un-seeable; unless, of course, the one person, who is designated the Secret Keeper, reveals the location to you.

"In your case, you, your mother and James were placed under the charm. If someone had come up to the house - who had not been included in the secret - they could have seen the house, seen the lights on, but it would appear as if no one was home.

"Everyone at the time knew that your godfather, a man named Sirius Black, was the most likely secret keeper. He was James' best friend, he had been named your godfather... your step-father's trust in him was absolute. But they also knew that one of their friends was betraying them to the Dark Lord. The person, who tipped them off as to their importance to Voldemort, also let it be known that there was someone close to them who was a traitor. It was widely believed, by the people in the know, that Remus Lupin was the most likely candidate for this, so the _Fidelius_ was set up without Lupin's knowledge and he was never included in its secret.

"And yet, somehow, The Dark Lord learned of your location from the Secret Keeper himself and entered your house on that Hallowe'en night and murdered your parents before getting his body disintegrated by his spell rebounding off of you.

"The next day, Sirius was cornered by Pettigrew on a Muggle street, and Pettigrew called him out, claiming Black had betrayed his best friends. They fought and then Black let loose with a massive _Reducto_ curse that blasted a hole in the street, killing twelve Muggles as well as Pettigrew. The only thing they could find of Peter was one finger. Black just laughed in the Aurors' faces when they hauled him off – stating outright that he had killed Potter and Lily."

Harry sat far back in his seat, bony knees drawn up to his chest as he rested his chin on them gazing out at the bright blue day beyond the Solarium, but not really registering it. The day had suddenly turned cold and gloomy for him and he wanted nothing more than to hide in his room under the covers than face this information. But he wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. So he took a deep breath before asking, "And he has escaped from prison?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Severus took a deep breath. "According to the headmaster, he was heard mumbling over and over 'He's at Hogwarts, he's at Hogwarts.' The headmaster believes he means you. What few sightings we've had already seem to indicate he is heading towards his last known location for you."

"My aunt's house." Harry just look wearied instead of worried.

"I'm afraid so. The ministry is sending extra squads over to Surrey to make sure he doesn't come near number four. Even though your family no longer lives there, he may not be aware of that fact."

Harry sighed resignedly as he buried his face in his arms. He was never going to get away from the freak factor. No matter what he did, where he went, how normal he thought his life was progressing – the freak factor popped right back up. "So, he's trying to find me for who knows what reason – probably to turn me over to moldy-shorts the first chance he gets," Harry growled, finally locking his eyes with his father's. Severus barely managed to keep a straight face at his son's nickname for his arch-enemy, but Draco snorted under his breath. "Can I just have one normal year? Is it too hard to ask?" Harry pleaded of his father.

Severus came over to Harry's chair and lifted the child up and onto his lap as he took the seat instead, motioning Draco to stand next to them. He let Harry lean up against one shoulder and Draco leaned against his other as he hugged them both to him. "I am sorry, boys; but with this news comes other harsh realisations. This was to be your first Hogsmeade year and I cannot, in good conscience, give permission for you to go – at least not with the other students. I shall attempt to make sure we go together several times this year, but until he is caught and brought to justice I just cannot risk it – not after just gaining you two. Do you understand?" he asked, looking from one down-turned face to the other. Finally, though, they nodded in understanding and he gave them a squeeze.

"Thank you, boys. I know it's harsh – and who knows, Black might be captured before you head off to school making this a moot point. There is still four weeks of holiday left, and he is a priority for the Ministry; so much so, in fact, that they are involving the Muggle authorities by broadcasting his features on their telly and asking people to keep an eye out for him," he reassured the teens.

"So let me get this straight," Draco finally asked. "Mr Lupin was not the traitor? Did _you_ ever see the traitor?"

"No, I never did. He would meet separately with the Dark Lord. All any of us knew was that one of the quartet had joined our side and was feeding information about the Potters to Voldemort. He was gloating over it, in fact. Many assumed it had to be Lupin for various reasons which are none of your business right now. But, with Black's confession, he was cleared." He straightened up some and patted both boys on their shoulders. "I think that's enough information for now – your friends will be talking about it, I am sure. You have enough time for another flight outside before lunch; I'll see you at noon." He boosted Harry off of his lap – the child was almost too big to do that anymore – and with mock spanks to their backsides, sent the sniggering pair off. Good, Harry had regained a sense of humour, he would be fine. He reached for the teapot and poured himself a new cup as he finally opened the paper to read what the _Prophet_ was reporting about the breakout.

* * *

In a dusty animal shop, a large orange half-Kneazle studied a wanted poster of Sirius Black that was posted near the till. The face was familiar, bringing back memories of an earlier life – one of a home with a family and a baby, kind voices, happy laughter, good food, friends... but other memories intruded as well: one who did not smell right, terror, death, betrayal and pain. A kind hand removing his own battered body from a ruined house where his family lay dead... This picture brought back so much and he needed to sleep on it. He hopped up on top of the toad cage and stretched out in a sunbeam, letting the warmth soak into his fur as his eyes closed to mere slits and a deep rumble began in his chest.

* * *

"Snap!" Ron called as the rest of the players rushed to lay their hands on the deck, Neville landing last and ending up with the pile. Just as he raked over the cards, the uppermost card exploded, singeing his eyebrows and fringe and causing the rest of the group to start snickering as the cards flew across the floor. Draco's kitten, Onyx, now a lanky juvenile cat – all limbs and no grace – pounced on the flying cards, batting them away as he skidded across the scattered slick pasteboard. Silicia hissed from Harry's neck, where she hung like a bejewelled necklace.

"Ah, shut it, guys!" Neville said good-naturedly, patting his eyebrows and hair to put out the smoulders. "That's the last of the cards, what now?"

Ron looked up at the group. "Harry, what about the news in the paper this morning? Are you scared?"

Harry and Draco shared a look while Hermione looked perplexed. "What news in the paper, Ron?"

"Sirius Black escaped from prison, he's only the most notorious mass murderer in Azkaban. Killed twelve Muggles and another wizard the day after You-Know-Who's defeat," Ron explained with a sense of awe and fright in his voice.

"Really? He's a wizard? But his picture was plastered all over the telly this morning; I didn't realize he was a wizard. It must be really bad if they are trying to get the Muggles to keep an eye out for him. So, why should Harry be scared? I don't understand," she asked as they all relaxed on the floor of the parlour. Ron gaped at her, but Harry rushed to explain before his friend started an argument with the witch.

"He was my godfather, Hermione, and they think he's coming after me. He's the one who betrayed my parents' location to Voldemort." He huffed as the other three Gryffindors winced at the name. The whole subject made him seriously upset when he let himself think about it; and he'd been trying to avoid thinking about it all afternoon. The man was supposed to be so loyal to his parents, what could have caused him to betray them? "Can we not talk about it? Neville, what did you get for your birthday yesterday?" he asked, turning toward the timid boy and changing the subject.

"Not much, really. Gran and I visited some relatives after lunch then we had tea with Uncle Algie. He gave me a great book on famous magical forests, and Gran gave me some seedlings for my garden. Oh, Hermione, thanks for the book – it should come in handy this year." He had already exchanged gifts with Harry before the other two had arrived.

"You're quite welcome, Neville. The bookshop owner swore it was an absolute must for any Herbology student." She was quite gracious with Neville, but the look she shot at the Snape boys said she wasn't finished with their discussion yet.

Ron changed the subject again, aware that Harry really wanted to stay away from talking about Black. "Hey, has anyone gotten their lists yet? I can't wait for this year – this is Hogsmeade year! I've only ever gone shopping in Diagon Alley with mum. Fred and George say it is a great place to go, though. There's a branch of Zonko's there, and Honeydukes..." He looked away dreamily as the thought of all that chocolate danced in his brain.

"I hope the lists show up soon, I need to get a head start in all my reading," Hermione complained.

"Merlin, Granger, don't you ever let up?" Draco asked. She looked askance at him.

"There is so much to learn, Snape; things I never knew existed! I have to catch up to people like you, Ron and Neville who've grown up taking all of this for granted. Harry and I can't! We were totally unaware of this entire world and its rules and possibilities until two years ago. I _have_ to read ahead just to understand!"

"Hey, don't include me! I'm doing fine..." Harry began to protest, but his brother rode right over him.

Draco raised his hands in defeat. "Point taken; but I still think you are cracked to take the Muggle Studies course – don't you already know about being a Muggle?"

"But it would be so fascinating to see it from a wizarding point of view!" She nearly went rhapsodic until she glanced out the window and saw five owls aiming for the open aperture. "Oh, look! I bet those are our letters now!" she squealed, pointing out the flock. The boys turned to look where she was indicating and grins graced their faces as the owls flew through the open window and landed near each student.

Ron was the first to open his letter, followed quickly by Hermione.

"I've heard of this book for DADA," commented Harry. "Dad has it in his library, although it's an older version. It's pretty good." He looked up at the intake of air from his bushy haired friend. "Yes, Hermione, you can take a tour of the library later," he smirked.

"Well, now that we have these, we'll have to go to the Alley soon," Neville said as he perused his own list.

"We should plan to all meet up there," Hermione proposed. "Meet for lunch and then shop for books and supplies. I need new robes, definitely – mine are entirely too short..."

"I'm fine," Harry offered. "The ones Dad bought me last year have growth charms on them, they should last me a couple more terms."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Growth charms? I didn't know that was an option; wonder what the additional cost is... Do you know, Harry?"

"No, Dad paid for everything – I have no idea. Draco?" he turned to his brother as the fountain of wisdom on all things Wizarding that teenagers would be interested in.

"I never asked, just gave them my vault number and that was that," he explained. Hermione looked disappointed.

"Well, I'll just have to ask – it has to cost less than getting new robes every other term. See, Draco, this is why I study so much; it's the little things that matter so much to those of us who are Muggle-born or half-bloods that lived as Muggles while children – I would never have known such a thing was possible!"

Draco moaned while Harry snickered. "I give up." He shuffled through his papers. "Well, Harry and I can just burn these," he said while brandishing the permission slip for Hogsmeade. "We can't go; too many people after our arses." He folded up his slip into a paper airplane and flew it right into the burning fire on the grate. Harry sighed, watching the parchment flare up in bright orange flames and after a moment, balled his up and tossed it in as well. He knew deep down that Black wouldn't be captured before school started.

Ron looked devastated as he realized his best mate wouldn't be joining them in Hogsmeade that year. "Are you sure you can't come?"

"Positive. Dad already nixed the idea – for both of us; too dangerous. He said he would try to make time to take us himself, when it wasn't so crowded," Draco explained for his brother. Harry gave his brother a small grin, Draco rarely called Severus 'Dad', but he was getting better at it.

"We'll bring you back something when we go," Hermione offered and the brothers gave her a weak smile as thanks. It was the thought that counted, after all.

Harry and Draco decided to give the others the grand tour of the manor at that point. They all loved the Solarium, and oohed and aahed appreciatively at the various parlours and drawing rooms. The exercise room had Ron and Neville starting to think about their own physical well-being, but the library had Hermione in raptures. The boys were sniggering behind their hands as they watched her twirl in place, taking in the room and its volumes. Eventually she came down to earth enough to smack Ron up the back of his head and glare at the others, which just made them laugh more while Ron coloured up as he rubbed his abused scalp ruefully. Severus walked in at that point reminding the teens that it was time for the others to go and the group reluctantly broke up, although Harry managed to ask the man if they could meet up again in Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't want you anywhere except here or behind the wards at Hogwarts until Black is captured. I'll be ordering yours and Draco's books and supplies tomorrow. You'll see your friends soon enough on the Express." He gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze in sympathy as the young man's face fell in disappointment. In truth, he hated having to curtail the boys' freedom so much, but he had to keep them safe and keeping them away from public situations where Black could be hiding was one of the few ways he could guarantee that. He was planning on Apparating his sons onto the train on the first of September to avoid the crowds on the platform. He would be riding on the train this year as well.

Harry finally sighed in resignation – there wasn't much he could do about this, and he knew whinging about it would only make it worse. His father could just as easily state that they would floo straight to Hogwarts at the start of term. This was turning out to be a very rotten birthday. He said good-bye to his three sympathetic friends as they flooed to the Burrow, Ron's home, then trudged upstairs to his room after handing his father his book list. He was beginning to feel like he'd been grounded when he hadn't even done anything to deserve it.

Draco and Severus watched as he left.

"Is it wrong for me to keep him safe?" Severus asked quietly, almost rhetorically. Draco thought about the question seriously.

"With Harry's penchant for finding trouble? I don't think so. He understands, Dad, he just doesn't like it – but he's not stupid enough to go looking for the trouble either."

"I hope so, Draco, I sincerely hope so." He headed back to his laboratory leaving Draco to his own devices, so the boy gathered his kitten up and headed out back to play pounce with his young familiar.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry and Draco wrestled their trunks into an empty compartment after saying goodbye to their father who then headed up the corridor to the teachers car.

"Blimey, these trunks get heavier every year!" Harry complained as they hoisted them up onto the wire racks above their heads. He then placed Hedwig's cage on the foldout table. Draco opened up Onyx's carrier and let the kitten out to play while they waited for their classmates to show up. Severus had Apparated them to the station nearly forty-five minutes before the train was due to leave, and there was hardly anyone there. Harry decided to pull out a wizards' chess set and set it up while his brother kept an eye out for the others. They played half-heartedly for awhile until Neville appeared, dragging his trunk behind him. Silicia poked her head out from under Harry's collar to say hello to Trevor and to watch the crowds thickening on the platform.

Neville peered out the window while other students poked their heads into the carriage to greet the third years. "Hey, Harry, isn't that Hermione?" he pointed out. Harry peered through the dirty window then got a huge grin on his face; it was his friend. He knocked on the window to get her attention and she turned and waved at him before hugging her parents goodbye. She was soon tugging her trunk into the compartment where Neville, the tallest of the three boys, set it next to Draco's on the rack.

"Thanks, Neville!" she said as she sat down next to Draco, hugging a large orange feline to her chest.

"Get a cat, Granger?" Draco queried.

She nodded, a goofy grin on her face as she happily ran one hand along the creatures back in a vain attempt to smooth out its fur. "Mum and Dad gave me my birthday money early and I was going to buy an owl – but when I went into the Magical Menagerie, I just fell in love with Crookshanks here. Don't get Ron talking about him though, he hates him,." she said with a bit of ice in her voice.

"Why?"

She settled back in her seat, obviously relishing the idea of sharing the tale. "Well, we had originally gone into the shop to get some tonic for Scabbers, his rat? He's been looking absolutely awful since they were in Egypt. Well, anyways, Crookshanks went straight after Scabbers, nearly scalping Ron in the process! I shouldn't laugh, but it was quite funny," she said, chuckling lightly at the remembrance.. "The rat went out of the shop like lightening, Crookshanks right after him and Ron chasing the both of them. Crooks finally cornered him and when Ron grabbed Scabbers, Crookshanks turned his tail and nose up at the both of them and marched right back into the shop." She bent her head over the feline, cooing at him while continuing to pet him. "That's right, such a good kitty!" she praised. The boys were nearly doubled over laughing at her story as they pictured Ron chasing the cat who was chasing the rat.

When they all managed to calm down and catch their breath, Harry looked outside again and noted the thinning crowds. He checked his watch – only five minutes to go before the train left and still no sign of the Weasleys.

"There they are!" Hermione suddenly cried out from over his shoulder. She pointed to the spot where the barrier was located to the main train station and sure enough, redheads started appearing, rushing their trolleys toward the train, with the elder Weasleys pushing their brood along. Neville and Harry hurried to the access door to help their friends load their luggage and themselves onto the train just as the conductor gave the all clear and the train slowly began to pull away from the station. Harry waved a quick hello to Mr and Mrs Weasley before the Porter closed the door on Mrs Weasley's "Have a good term, dearies!"

The twins gave Harry a quick hello, with slaps on the back that nearly bowled him over then headed up the train to their regular compartment with Lee Jordan while Ginny spotted some second-year friends nearby. Percy, sporting a shiny Head Boy badge on his robes, took off for the Prefect car and Ron followed Harry and Neville back to their compartment. He almost didn't enter when he saw that Crookshanks and Onyx were loose.

"Merlin, can't you guys put them in their carriers? Scabbers is nervous enough without this added stress!" He frowned as he stepped over the baggage that was on the floor.

"Crookshanks isn't going to do anything to your pet, Ronald," Hermione said pointedly.

"And neither is Onyx," Draco pointed out; the half-grown cat hadn't even registered the rat's presence. Draco frowned as he realised this, then sighed in resignation: his familiar obviously was not going to be a mouser.

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione while shoving his trunk up against the wall. "Right, Hermione, then how come he's eyeing my pocket like it's lunch on a stick?" he asked, looking down at his shirt pocket. "Scabbers' shaking like a leaf!" He placed a protective hand over his quivering pocket while watching the orange Kneazle lick its lips and twitch its tail while keeping its gaze on the front of Ron's shirt.

Onyx was watching the bottlebrush tail with fascination as it switched to and fro, getting ready to pounce on it.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione huffed. "As if Crooks wants to eat your scrawny rat. The poor thing is so pathetic looking. Besides, he's only doing what a normal cat would do. You can't blame him for that."

"Just keep him away!" Ron snapped at her as he settled himself between Harry and Neville.

"Just ignore him, Crooks. Here, go play with Onyx." She placed him on the floor along with the black and white juvenile cat and tossed a catnip ball down with them to bat around.

Neville turned to Ron, trying to distract his room-mate. "How was Egypt? We didn't really get a chance to talk about it at Harry's party."

Ron brightened up at the question and eagerly told the others of his family's trip to visit his oldest brother, Bill, in Egypt; touring the pyramids, visiting Wizarding bazaars, the twins trying to lock Percy up in a cursed tomb, and getting chewed out by their mother. The others listened intently as he described the various results of the curses that they saw in a museum – people with extra limbs, hideously deformed skin, some with bizarre tails or wings, extra organs such as eyes or ears – and made the appropriate groans when called for.

Outside, the day was growing gloomy as the train raced north, rain sheeting down. The sky was so grey and cloudy that the cabin lights were eventually lit. The cats had settled down together in Crookshanks' basket – which Hermione deemed adorable before diving back into her DADA book – and the boys were in the midst of a card game when the train began slowing down and soon came to an abrupt stop. Hermione snuck a look at her watch.

"It's too early for Hogsmeade station," she said whilst closing her book. "I wonder why we've stopped."

Draco tried to peer out the window. "Something's moving out there, but I can't see what." He took a hanky out of his pocket and used it to clear away some condensation on the window so that he could see better, but it was too dark outside to make out any clear forms.

Harry and Neville shivered as an ice cold draft filtered in from the corridor and the window began to frost up. Suddenly the lights went out and Ron jumped in fright.

"W-what's happening?" Ron asked, his teeth chattering. Harry moved as if to check the corridor, but before he could reach the door it was yanked open and the scariest thing he had ever seen drifted forward into the car. Harry stumbled back into the cabin and tripped over Neville's legs onto the seat as the cats and Silicia hissed; Crookshanks jumping in front of Harry barring his fangs and growling. A skeletal figure, draped in a flowing black cloak, hood up around its face so that its features were hidden, in its depths, reached a hand toward Harry as he tried to scramble away from it, a cold fear causing him to tremble all over. A sharp pain came from his forehead, quickly spreading throughout his head, and he clapped his hands to his temples, his fingers clawing his hair, in an attempt to stem the agony. But it didn't work.

Screams... a woman screaming, soon filled his ears as green light filled his vision before blackness took over.

* * *

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A large white light brightened the corridor and the creature backed reluctantly out of the compartment.

"What you are looking for is not here, leave this train!" the voice commanded. The creature attempted to move forward again, but was forcibly pushed back by the light. It screamed once in frustration, then turned and fled out of the car and into the night.

The light died to reveal Remus Lupin who stared for a moment after the foul visitor before turning to the scene in the cabin beyond. Draco and Ron were lifting Harry onto a seat. He was still unconscious, face white as a sheet. The other children didn't look much better; for all that they were still awake.

"Here take this and share it amongst yourselves, it'll help," he explained as he handed Hermione a large bar of Honeyduke's chocolate. "Make sure you save some for Mr Potter-Snape. I'm going to go get his father." Draco looked relieved at this news.

"Sir... Professor?" Hermione asked.

Lupin turned around. "It's Professor Lupin, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, sir. What was that?"

"That, children, was a Dementor – normally they only reside at Azkaban prison where they guard the prisoners. They thrive on taking your happiest thoughts from you and, when ordered to, will take your soul as well by sucking it out through your mouth." The four students shivered in remembered disgust. "Now, eat that chocolate, it will really help you," he said, stepping over Crookshanks as the cat was winding about his legs, purring, before turning to leave and hunt down Snape.

Several minutes later, Harry was starting to revive as his father stormed through the door, dropping to his knees in front of his son. A concerned hand carded the hair out of the boy's eyes as they fluttered open. Crookshanks, now perched behind Harry's head, was patting the boy with a paw.

"Dad?" Harry asked as he brushed the annoying cat's paw off of his head.

Severus sighed in relief. "Harry, are you alright? How do you feel?"

Harry let his dad help him sit up, accepting the slab of chocolate that Hermione passed to him, but he didn't take a bite. The Kneazle plopped itself down on his lap, purring madly and kneading his jumper with his paws, although he kept his claws sheathed. "I'm alright, just a bit woozy. Did anyone else pass out?" he asked quietly, absently petting the familiar. Draco shook his head when his father looked at him in concern.

"No, you were the only one here. I felt like I was going to, but then Professor Lupin drove it off," Neville said.

"I felt the same way," Draco finally admitted. Severus gave him a more piercing look, but concluded that his older son was fine.

"I just felt cold and miserable..." Ron stated and Hermione nodded her head slowly.

"Who was that lady screaming?" Harry asked.

"No one screamed, mate – the Dementor came in, you tried to get away, stumbled over Neville, grabbed your head, then fell to the floor – unconscious," said Ron, a bit wide-eyed in his remembrance.

"But I heard..." Harry stated, a confused look on his face.

Severus was concerned about the Weasley boy's report about Harry grabbing his head, but he would leave it until they could discuss it alone in his quarters. He pointed at the bar in his son's hand. "Come on, Harry, eat that." He waited until Harry had taken several bites and the colour began returning to his face before turning to check on the other occupants of the room. When he was satisfied that they had all eaten their chocolate and were feeling better he turned to leave but Draco caught his sleeve and motioned out to the corridor. Severus let his son go first before following and closing the compartment door behind him.

"Uncle Sev... Dad... Harry was really shaken there, Are you sure he'll be alright? Why did he react so much?"

"Do you understand what Dementors do?"

"Mr Lupin explained – they feed on your happiness?"

"Yes, and in the process make you relive your worst memories. Up until a short time ago you and your brother were both living in undesirable conditions – things that neither of you should ever have been exposed to. Mr Longbottom has also had a difficult past. This is what you were feeling when the Dementor came in. Harry's is just that much worse so that the memories induced caused him to pass out in a form of protecting his mind from further attacks. Now, are you truly feeling better or do I need to procure some more chocolate from Lupin? I swear he practically lives on the stuff!" he snorted in disgust.

Draco grinned at his father's comment, but shook his head. "I'm fine, now. Thanks." He leaned into Severus' hand as it came up to cup the boy's cheek. It felt so good to have an adult male he could trust.

"If you're sure then, I need to return up front and make sure Dumbledore knows about this attack. We should be in Hogsmeade in an hour, tell your friends to get ready."

"I will. Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome, Draco – now get back in there,." he said, giving the boy a boost towards the door.

Draco smiled as he watched his father stride away, students parting in front of him as if he was Moses.

* * *

The black dog had tried to find his quarry in Diagon Alley, skulking amongst the shadows, but he had arrived too late and the start of the school year was upon them. He had nicked some food from the trash bins and began to head north for the long journey to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts School.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Somehow the word had gotten out that Harry had fainted, and the Slytherins were unrelenting in their teasing as the students made their way out of the train and into the horseless carriages that carried them up to the waiting, brightly lit castle. Nott, Crabbe and Goyle kept pulling their robe hoods up over their heads and making spooky noises, causing Hermione to tell them to grow up while steering her friends to the carriages. Threats were also lobbed in Draco's direction, as well as an attempted jinx from Nott, which Harry blocked just in time. So, while in the carriage, he and Harry checked to make sure their Portkeys and amulets were in place. Everyone had their black robes on, house crests proudly displayed – except Draco. He was to be resorted.

He had asked for it over the summer when it became apparent that he would not survive another year in Slytherin and he could not live forever in Severus' quarters – near Slytherin and yet not Slytherin. He had agonised over the decision for weeks, talking with Severus as they brewed together, and talking with his brother as they flew over the extensive grounds at Prince Manor. He eventually had decided that the best thing to do was let the hat decide. He had loved it in Slytherin, but he couldn't live like this for another five years.

As they passed underneath the Flying boar statues guarding the entrance to Hogwarts, the familiars hissed again as the children felt the chill, dread touch of the Dementors hovering just outside the gates. They had shaken off most of the effects by the time they reached the steps to the main doors and they filed into the Great Hall, calling greetings to other friends.

Severus had pulled Draco to the side to await the end of the sorting and Draco watched as his brother sent him a sympathetic glance before letting Hermione and Ron lead him to sit at the Gryffindor table. Draco sighed, trying desperately not to fidget as he waited for the hall to calm down and the line of first-years to make their way into the hall. He noted that he seemed to tower above them as they marched past him, gazing up at the older student with curiosity. Had it only been two years ago he had been in the same line? His father laid a hand on his shoulders to still his nervousness and he took in calming breaths, closing his eyes and trying to centre himself as he had been taught by his father and Runeskin.

He felt the calming tide of peacefulness permeate his body as he slowed his breathing and heart rate, mentally going over the exercises he had been taught all last year and over the summer. He thought about each morning when Runeskin would lead his employers in the morning workout katas, then came the one on one sparring, which they had started this summer. He let his mind go over every move in the routines and when his father squeezed his shoulder to indicate that it was time to go in, he felt refreshed and his mind was clearer than it had been all day. He smiled up at the older wizard and let the man lead him in to stand before McGonagall and the stool.

The deputy headmistress gave him an understanding nod after sending a scathing look toward the Slytherin table as if to say she knew whose fault it was that Draco _needed_ this resorting. He sat himself on the stool keeping his brother's eyes in his focus before the scene was blotted out by the musty leather hat being dropped over his head.

"_Ah, young Mr Malfoy – or should I say, Snape. Back for a resorting, eh? So, where to put you..."_

"I can't go back to Slytherin."

"_Understood; although it is ideally the house for you, like your brother. However, some things need to be taken into consideration and it is no longer safe for you there. I see you have lots of friends in Gryffindor – but that is not a good fit for you either, although you definitely show courage and strength, it is not an all encompassing trait. You are loyal to your friends and family – but only those you deem worthy of your loyalty, so not Hufflepuff... ah, but you are highly intelligent, and full of a quest for knowledge... yes, that will do; therefore, your new house will be... RAVENCLAW!"_

Draco sighed happily as the hat was pulled from his head and a smattering of applause – most notably from the Gryffindor third-years – echoed in the Great Hall along with some murmuring from the Slytherin table. Draco snuck a smirk in his former house's direction while a flick of his father's wand changed his tie colours and added the Eagle crest to his robes. With a nod of thanks to his dad and the deputy headmistress, he walked over to the Ravenclaw table where the third-years quietly made room for him to sit. He looked over to his brother and received a thumb-up in congratulations. He smiled back then took the offered plate of meat from Terry Boot that had just materialised on the table.

He listened intently to the conversations around him; quiet as he took in the dynamics of his new house. He answered questions politely when asked of him and noted which students seemed wary of him due to his previous associations and parentage. That was going to be a problem no matter which house he had landed in, but the Ravenclaws were closer in temperament to the Slytherins and tended to ignore such things as parentage unless it impacted on their studies – which was rarely. A second-year sitting next to him seemed to be studying him.

"Is there a problem?" he asked with just a hint of coldness in his voice.

"Not at all," she replied pleasantly. "But I think the blubberwinks are bothering you somewhat. They delight in making people confused, and you look a tad bit confused." Her voice had a somewhat dreamy quality to it, as if she didn't entirely exist on this plane of existence. It made the hairs on his arms stand up, but he couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad one.

Draco stared at the ethereal looking girl, white-blond hair down to her waist with waifish features. He wouldn't have been surprised to find her ears were pointed if he dared to look. "Blubberwinks? What in Merlin's name are blubberwinks?"

"Well, most people can't see them – but they fly in through your ears and buzz around in your head making you all confused. I wonder what there is going to be for pudding tonight..." she asked while looking up and down the table hoping to espy the longed for treats.

"There is no such thing...mmmphhfff!" Draco started to say before Terry clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Just ignore her, Mal... Snape, she's a bit fluffy in the head. Brilliant, mind you – otherwise she wouldn't be in this house – but she is quite barmy at times." He let his hand up when Draco nodded his understanding.

"Who is she?" he asked quietly.

"Luna Lovegood."

"Lovegood... Lovegood, isn't that the name of the editor of..."

"The Quibbler," Anthony Goldstein supplied quietly. "Yeah, and she's as addled as her pa, going on about strange creatures that no one has never heard of or seen."

Draco looked at the girl sitting next to him who was now humming to herself while eating her dinner. "Oh, I don't know," he said to his seatmates in general. "I'm always interested in finding out about new magical creatures. I like spending time with Hagrid, maybe you can join me sometime?" he directed at her. He knew he had made a friend when she shyly smiled up at him. This was infinitely better than Slytherin house, and she was loads more interesting than Pansy Parkinson.

* * *

Severus watched as his boys settled in at their tables. Harry had kept an eye on his brother until he was certain he wasn't being ostracised by his new house mates, but he soon decided that Draco was doing well and seemed to be handling things - talking with Terry and Anthony and some second-year that was seated on the other side of him and so had returned to his own feast. Harry seemed to be fitting back in with his classmates as well; nothing like it had been last term at this time. Severus accepted the serving dish of vegetables from Minerva, passing it on to Sinistra to his right after serving himself.

"Harry and Draco look so much healthier this term, Severus. Did you have a good summer?" the headmistress asked.

"It was instructive for all of us," he answered. "We are starting to meld into something resembling a family unit – damaged as we all are. Whitney came out a few times just to check on the boys, and he was satisfied with their progress. Of course they pulled some hi-jinks, but what teenage boys don't?" he asked rhetorically, quirking one eyebrow in his colleague's direction.

"Oh? Did they try something they shouldn't?" she enquired with a half-smile on her face.

An upturn of the corner of his mouth showed his amusement. "I think my favourite was the sliding down the banister from the fourth floor to the main floor and then seeing how far they would fly when they reached the end – without a landing pad. Unfortunately – or fortunately for their heads, if you wish to look at it that way – one of the house-elves was walking across the entrance when they had launched themselves from the end of the banister and he was the unwitting cushion for them, spilling a box full of potions for Pomfrey." Gasps were heard from his seat mates.

"And they're still alive?" Sinistra asked as Snape nonchalantly buttered his roll.

"Yes, well... they ended up having to re-brew all the spilt potions – to my specifications – and they had to do the housework assigned to that particular house-elf for a week. I ended up putting anti-sliding charms on the banisters in question, something I should have done in the first place," he admitted, although he refrained from telling his audience that the reason he _should_ have remembered was because he had done the same thing when he was eight and had ended up chipping a tooth on the marble flooring when he had landed. Of course his boys were thirteen, not eight, but both of them were a bit stunted in emotional growth and had never been allowed to participate in such forbidden pleasures as sliding down a banister, which he had not taken into account – so he had forgotten to cast the appropriate charms. They all had learned some lessons.

"Oh, Minerva, Harry has decided to change Divination for Runes. I've already taken care of it with Albus. Both boys decided to switch after doing some study over the summer. They've decided that it is a better course to follow than Divination. I have to agree with them," he added as an aside. It was no secret that both he and Minerva saw eye to eye when it came to Trelawney and her subject.

The transfiguration professor gave him thanks for the information and asked if the boys had been able to make it over to the Weasleys for the summer as originally planned.

"No, when Arthur won the contest those plans went out the door. We were able to invite some of Harry's friends over for his birthday, but then Black had to get loose so I made the decision to keep them close to home for the rest of the summer." McGonagall said she understood and they went back to enjoying the feast.

He listened politely to the headmaster as he explained to the school the presence of the Dementors on the perimeter of school wards, and the introduction of Lupin as this years DADA professor. He saw Harry and Draco both shrug in answer to questions put to them by their housemates. Neither boy was entirely enamoured by the man – in truth, they tended to avoid him as much as possible. Harry didn't like Lupin because the man gave off vibes the boy did not understand, and Draco flat out did not trust him.

Soon enough, the students were filing out of the Great Hall and heading towards their dorms. Harry and Draco both looked at Severus for quick reassurances before following their housemates, which he gave them before heading down to the dungeons for his yearly talk with his house.

* * *

"Hermione, keep that cat away from Scabbers!" Ron yelled, while holding his pet in his hands protectively.

"Ron, he's only doing what cats do!" Hermione protested as she grabbed her cat who had been eyeing the rat like a well-roasted snack.

"I don't care – keep him away!"

Harry sighed, slamming shut his transfiguration textbook. "Ron, just take Scabbers up to the dorm; he's safer up there anyway," he pointed out, annoyed at the constant bickering between his two friends. Silicia hissed from under his shirt cuff, adding in her two knuts.

"You're just taking that flea-bitten, mangy feline's side 'cause he likes you, Harry. I've seen how he's always crawling into your lap and purring at you. Well, you'll all eat your words when he's eaten my rat! And keep your snake away from Scabbers, too – she's been eyeing Scabbers as if he's a snack!" he cried before grabbing his book bag and, still cradling his trembling pet, marched up the stairs to his dorm. Harry just stared after his friend, gob-smacked. Silicia would never eat Scabbers! Ron hadn't had any problem with her last term! Of course, if he was honest with himself, he remembered that the post-Christmas term had been spent in his dad's quarters instead of the dorm. And Ron _had_ been a bit leery when Silicia had poked her head out that first time at breakfast. He shrugged to himself; Ron had had enough time to get used to the familiar, and Silicia hadn't indicated even once that she would want to eat Scabbers over the last couple of weeks he'd been back to school.

Hermione sighed as she sat Crookshanks back on the floor. "Oh, Ronald..." She shook her head before sitting back down and opening her Muggle-studies book. Harry was about to turn back to his own studies when he felt a weight land on his legs and he looked down into his lap to find the orange cat curling up contentedly, purring madly.

"You're a load of trouble; you know that, don't you?" he asked the Kneazle rhetorically. The cat just purred louder in reply.

* * *

Crookshanks settled into the routine of the castle, discovering that he could leave the dormitory or the common room via various means. His favourite, while the weather was nice, was to slip out through an open window, walking along the casements until he came to a roof that he could flow up onto and thence make his way to wherever he might want to wander.

He met other cats that belonged to other students, but they were ordinary. Mrs Norris wasn't ordinary, she was a Kneazle like him, but he couldn't stand her master so he always gave her a wide berth. There was one Animagus cat, Professor McGonagall – but she never interacted with the other felines, and frankly, Crookshanks was in awe of her, so he kept his distance.

He also kept his distance from the poltergeist, Peeves. He delighted in terrorizing the feline population of the castle; dumping water balloons on them, pulling their tails from behind, painting stripes down their backs, and hiding behind corners or statues and popping out just as the cats came abreast of his spot, wiggling his hands in his ears, and pulling bizarre faces as he cackled maniacally, scaring the animals out of their wits and causing them to rise a foot in the air before coming down, fur poofed out and scrambling madly to get away from the mad creature.

Crooks kept an eye on the rat as well, watching where Ron kept his pet. Pet, huh! Menace, more like it; and Crookshanks absolutely cherished every chance he could get to torture the critter. He also cherished the time he could spend with his boy.

Imagine his surprise when his new owner had taken him onto the train and into a compartment that contained a familiar scent – his boy! After all these years he was back with Harry! As often as he could, he would curl up close to Harry, drinking in his scent. It brought back such happy memories of when he had just been a kitten and taken into the home of the Potters as a gift. He remembered all the happy times of playing pounce with baby Harry, sleeping in the sunlight on his own especial pillow placed in his own window. Such good times before things had gone sour and one had turned traitor.

* * *

Draco and Harry didn't have many classes together this term, but they did share DADA, Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. They had been delighted when Dumbledore had announced that Professor Kettleburn had retired and Hagrid was taking his place. Draco was fascinated with magical creatures and his burgeoning friendship with the large man had sent him on many quests into the library to look up information on various creatures. Many a Saturday afternoon had been spent during the previous term curled up in Hagrid's warm cabin reading and discussing his finds. This term was following suit and Harry, whenever he couldn't find his brother in the castle, could always find him at the gatekeepers hut.

That's where Harry found him after classes one Friday in mid-October, helping Hagrid with his prize pumpkins. He had dumped his bag and robes over the stone fence as he went over to where the other two wizards stood. The gourds were enormous, some nearly eight metres across and Harry judiciously ignored the pink umbrella leaning against a nearby stump, grinning up at the teacher as he expounded on his "Beauties!"

"Aye, they're perfect this year!" Hagrid preened as he checked for slugs, patting each pumpkin to hear its ripeness then running a hand lovingly over its broad expanse afterwards.

Harry and Draco both rolled their eyes heavenward when their friend wasn't looking, adopting angelic smiles when Hagrid looked at them.

"Can yeh stay for a spot 'a tea, 'Arry? I've got fresh Rock Cakes; jest baked 'em meself this mornin'," Hagrid offered.

"Sure, Hagrid!" Harry agreed and he went over to grab his things from the fence, while Draco slung his own bag over his shoulder and followed.

"Good, yeh can tell me wha's 'appenin' with that Kneazle of Hermione's." He led the boy's inside the warm hut and set a large teakettle over the fire to heat up while he got a plate of biscuits from his pantry and set out the tea things on the table. The two Snapes removed their cloaks, setting them near the fire to warm up and they each politely took a Rock Cake from the proffered plate, setting them next to their tea cups as Hagrid poured out the tea. When all was ready, Draco and Hagrid sat back while Harry told them the latest escapade between Crookshanks and Scabbers.

"... so Crookshanks claws open Ron's book bag and Scabbers comes shooting out of it like a whiz-bang and streaks across the room! Crooks chases after him, nearly mowin' everybody down in his way, and corners the rat under the sideboard! You should have seen it: Scabbers went under there slick as a whistle and Crookshanks skidded so fast across the floor that he banged up against the sideboard, nearly knocking himself silly! Well, the sideboard is too low for Crookshanks to get under it so he's hunched over, swiping a paw underneath, yowling like a banshee, and Scabbers is squealing like a stuck pig! On top of that Ron and Hermione were yelling at each other, and I don't think they're going to be speaking to each other very soon."

Hagrid was chortling and Draco was bent over, he was laughing so hard, as he imagined the scene of destruction in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"So... ha, ha... so, wha-ha-ha –t happened?" Draco managed to ask between his laughing.

"Oh, Hermione finally picked up Crooks long enough for Ron to coax Scabbers out from under the sideboard. He was really shaking, too. Like a leaf, and he's lost more fur and is skinnier than ever. I'll be surprised if he lasts past Yule." Harry took a sip from his tea, now that it had cooled down. "He was Percy's rat before he got passed on to Ron, and Perce has had him since he was quite little – I think Ron said he's been in the family for twelve years or so," Harry said. Hagrid opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but got a puzzled look on his face before he shook his shaggy head and took a large gulp from his own cup.

"What, Hagrid?" Draco asked, curious at his friend's startlement.

"Nothin', Draco. Thought I remembered something, but it went clean outta my 'ead."

Draco set his cup down and looked up at his mentor. "Hagrid, are you still worrying about Buckbeak? It wasn't your fault – Nott wasn't respectful; you know that!" Harry nodded as well. At their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hagrid had introduced the class to Buckbeak, a hippogriff that Hagrid had been hand-raising for several years. Draco and Harry had met the young creature the previous summer and knew that as long as you were respectful to the hippogriff, he was tolerant of people coming up to him. Nott hadn't listened and had gotten a not too gentle reminder of this when Buckbeak dragged a talon along his forearm. Madame Pomfrey had healed it in a trice, but Nott was milking it for all it was worth.

"Yeah, well the school guv'ners don't look at it like that. Yer sire has the rest 'a the board convinced like. And Nott's da is followin' right along."

"Don't worry Hagrid, they can't blame Buckbeak," Draco assured his friend. "You gave clear instructions as to how to approach a hippogriff. Nott blatantly disregarded them," he declared, "just like he disregards every Slytherin rule," he stated bitterly. He had been the target, more than once, of Nott's viciousness this term. He'd had to Portkey three times already to the bedroom in his dad's quarters, and he'd had several minor skirmishes between and after classes when the bullies had lain in wait for him. He didn't know what he'd ever seen in those boys that had made him want to be friends with them. He had better friends now in his new house and among his brother's friends.

Hagrid sniffed, wiping his eyes with his giant handkerchief. "Thankee, Draco. 'Preciate it. It's gettin' late boys, you need ta get up to the castle afore dinner starts and yer dad comes lookin' for yeh. It ain't worth my job ta get him mad at me for keepin' yeh youngsters too long – not with Sirius Black out there."

"But Hagrid, Black isn't anywhere near here, is he?" Draco asked as Harry paled slightly at the implications. He grabbed their warm cloaks, handing his brother his while Hagrid answered.

"Jus' this mornin' the _Daily Prophet_ printed a sighting near Brocklebury – tha's only fifty kilometres from here! Now, hurry along, I'm jus' gonna bank this fire an' I'll be right behind yeh!" He pushed them towards the door, after making sure their cloaks were secured against the cold that was descending as quickly as the evening gloom. The boys said goodnight and quickly made their way up the steep hillside to the ring of standing stones that heralded the side entrance to the school. They ran along the covered wooden walkway and across the deserted courtyard to the doors that led to a warm Entrance Hall. They parted amicably at the doors to the Great Hall and headed for their respective tables, they would meet up after dinner to head down to their father's quarters for the rest of the weekend – privileges of having a parent on staff.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: 50 Chocolate Cauldrons to whomever can tell me, without googling it, where Lily derived the name of her cat. And for the rest of you, I had instituted a contest with vows that I am continuing here: the 100th review for DUTY will get a 2000 word story off of a prompt they give me. The prompt must be 1 sentence, and HP oriented. The last time I did this, one of the prompts ended up spurring a 3 story arc and the other one will be incorporated later in this story - somewhat changed.

**Chapter 5**

Harry was practicing with the Gryffindor Quidditch team nearly every night as October drew to a close. The first Gryffindor game was in November and Oliver was pushing the team to its limit. They were practicing no matter what the weather conditions were like, and they had turned abysmal over the last week.

Harry had dragged his wet, freezing body into the Common Room one evening to find that everyone was excited: the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year had been announced. He grinned half-heartedly at his friends as they gushed about all the things they were planning on seeing and doing, but all he wanted was a hot shower.

"Ron, mate, just get me some good things from Honeydukes, alright? I'm bushed – Oliver's working us like dogs. I just want a hot shower and a warm bed right now," he explained, clapping Ron on the back.

"Sure, Harry, I forgot – your dad doesn't want you to go with the rest of us. When are you going?"

"Don't know, and frankly, right now I don't care. I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?" He headed up the stairs to their dorm to take his much desired shower.

Hermione came up behind Ron. "Is he alright, you think?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's just tired." He turned around to face her and took a quick step back. "Oy! Get that flea-bag away from me 'Mione!" he shrieked, stepping away from his friend who was cradling her cat in her arms. The cat blinked at Ron then squirmed out of her owner's arms to drop gracefully down to the floor and wind his way around the boy's legs, leaving orange hair on the black woollen pants.

"Ron, you're impossible!" she huffed in exasperation. "Scabbers is upstairs hiding at the end of your bed, not here! Crooks, stop that! You're just irritating the situation!" She flounced away, grabbing her bag after shoving all her books into it and headed up the stairs, Crookshanks following her, his bandy legs giving him a distinctive wiggle, with his tail high in the air.

0000

Draco was looking forward to the weekend; he loved spending his weekends in the dungeons with his dad and brother. He and Harry would stay up late in their room, huddled on their rugs between the beds, wrapped in the duvets and having whispered conversations about their week's adventures. Draco was becoming good friends with Anthony and Terry, and the second-year – Luna – seemed to follow him around a lot, especially when he was in the Common Room. Harry's opinion was that she had a crush on Draco – which Draco dismissed. Harry would just give him a bemused expression as if to say Draco was being delusional.

While both boys were much more content with life, there was still the odd nightmare to contend with and these always had a tendency to happen over the weekends. Severus was sure it was because the boys felt more at ease when at home; more likely to relax their shields and let the nightmares occur.

Whitney agreed when Severus contacted him. Draco was just thankful his father never mentioned the fact that most mornings would find both of them curled up together on one bed. He just concentrated on helping them strengthen their Occlumency shields.

Harry's vision of a jungle was nearly complete although he kept adding creatures to the border. Draco had chosen a labyrinth – much like his medallion – that was constructed of granite. He had been listening in to his dad's instructions with Harry, so that when it was his turn to start the lessons he had advanced much more quickly. Now he and Harry were equal in their Occlumency strength and Harry was beginning to show him how to extend his senses around him. Severus had finally been let in on this little secret over the summer when he had wandered into the work-out room at the manor and found Runeskin monitoring a sparring match between the boys who had their eyes shut. Severus had been stunned, but pleased, and took over their training – intensifying it and adding simple wandless magic to the mix. That was a hard addition, not usually attempted before sixth year, but Severus was adamant in his insistence that they needed to learn these magics now. So, it was slow going, but they were improving.

Draco especially liked the morning routines in Severus' work-out dungeon at the castle. Severus had added some standard weight-lifting and aerobic exercise to their routine of Runeskin's katas and weapons training along with the senses training. Draco could tell that the new routine's were working; he and his brother were filling out, adding muscle and strength where before they had both been skinny little runts.

Tonight, he was to meet his family down in Severus' quarters for dinner, so he had gone back to his dorm to grab the books he would need over the weekend, and was trudging across the entrance hall to the dungeon entrance when the Great Doors opened to admit a group of adult Wizards and Witches – the Board of Governors.

Draco halted in his steps, staring at his sire who was leading the group, Narcissa on his arm. Narcissa, who was clearly mid-pregnancy and still managing to look every inch the pure-blood witch. She halted abruptly, dragging Lucius to a stop as she espied Draco. Her hand convulsed on her husbands arm, and she seemed to pale a bit as she took in the sight of her progeny.

Draco withstood her perusal, looking her in the eyes. He'd had nowhere to go, caught in the centre of the hallway, so he had faced the group, spine straight and not looking down. He dearly wanted to look away, but that would be cowardly – and he felt his incense at her begin to rise as he thought about how she had never come to his rescue at the hands of his sire, nor had she raised any objection when Lucius had disowned him. It was if... she had never cared for him. And here she was, pregnant again with his replacement. He was disgusted with her; she was just a brood-mare.

Narcissa raked her eyes over her first-born, noting the change in stature, his easy gracefulness in the way he confidently stood there, the change of house badge on his robes, the muscles beginning to ripple under those robes and the clenched jaw with eyes that burned right through her. Lucius was ignoring Draco's presence, pulling off his gloves instead and slapping them into his palm to show his annoyance with this delay. The rest of the governors were mumbling behind the Malfoys, watching the silent _tête-à-tête._

Draco wasn't sure how long he could have continued to stand there, saying nothing, when Severus showed up looking for his son, Harry in tow.

The two new additions strode over to stand next to Draco, Severus laying a hand on his shoulder in a show of support. Draco was able to drag in a deep breath and unclench his hands, which he hadn't known he had formed into fists. Narcissa shuddered after giving Severus a pleading look. Draco missed the looks passing between his mother and Severus; he was focusing on Lucius instead, keeping an eye on the Dragon-headed walking stick. That was the most dangerous part of Lucius and he wanted to be ready in case Lucius lost his cool.

He needn't have worried; Lucius Malfoy rarely lost his temper in public, and he wasn't about to now. He just gave a withering look to the group of Snapes then forcibly marched Narcissa and the rest of the board up the sweeping stairs and around a corner towards the board room.

Severus gave Draco a squeeze on the shoulder before releasing his hold and Harry quickly turned around to face his brother.

"Did you know she was expecting?" Harry came straight to the point.

"No, this is the first I'd heard about it." He turned to his father. "Did you?"

"No, I'd heard no rumours. He must be keeping her in the manor – probably to make sure she kept the baby. You were the only live birth in a long line of miscarriages, Draco. I believe there were four previous pregnancies before yours. Pure-bloods are so inbred that it is hard for them to conceive, much less carry a pregnancy to term. Apparently, Lucius was taking no chances with this one, not letting your mother out of the house until they were certain she wasn't going to miscarry again." He was pondering the pleading look Narcissa had given him before Lucius had led her away; did she want to escape?

Draco mumbled something next to him and he looked down sharply at his son. "What did you just say, young man?"

"I said she isn't my mother." Draco was obviously very bitter and Severus was glad that Harry kept quiet during this exchange.

"I can understand your feeling of abandonment, Draco, but you must understand that your sire has her completely under his control. If she wants to survive, she has to do what he says."

"She's weak. She never lifted a hand to help me when he beat me; never protested when he disowned me..."

"Did you ever think, in that last instance, that maybe she approved of me adopting you? It was her idea to make me your godfather, not Lucius'. Perhaps she felt it was the safest thing she could do for you – her way of showing you that she loved you enough to let you go to a safer environment?"

Draco stood there, gobsmacked. He had never thought of it that way... why not? Because now he could see where Severus was correct: that had been what his mother probably thought. Now he worried about his new sibling. He looked up at his dad.

"What about the baby?"

"Let's hope, for your mother's sake, it is a boy," Severus said coldly. His sons shared a frightened and stunned look between them before he turned them in the direction of the dungeons entrance.

0000

It was an oddly warm Sunday evening late in October when Crookshanks took advantage of several of the students heading for the library to walk through the portrait hole and head down the stairs towards the main doors. A trip down through the castle was not Crooks favourite manner of travelling to the outdoors, but it worked when there weren't any convenient windows open.

He slinked down several flights of the granite stairs until he came to the main entrance hall and a quick plaintive meow at a teacher who was passing nearby, earned him a truly snarky look from the man swathed in black, but he still deigned to open the front doors a crack for the Kneazle. "And don't expect me to be here when you get back!" the man said to the orange tail as it sauntered away. Crookshanks didn't care, there were other ways back into the castle – this was just the most convenient route out. He wondered about the man in black, though. His boy had the man's smell all over him; and on the train Harry had called the professor "Dad". So had the blond boy. Well, he knew Harry had lost his parents – he had been there when they'd been murdered. Obviously, someone had adopted him and, from the way the man had acted on the train, truly cared for his boy. That was all for the good in Crooks mind; he was happy his boy had a family that loved him.

Crookshanks headed towards the edge of the forest to start marking his territory. A spray here, and a spray there let the other creatures know this was his home. As he went from tree to tree he became aware of a shadow keeping pace with him; a large, dark shadow that kept hidden.

This wasn't the first time he had seen this particular shadow. It had been pacing him for several weeks as he went on his rounds. He had seen it watching the castle from a distance, never going nearer than the edge of the forest. Tonight he'd had enough. He thought he knew who this was and he was ready to confront him. He finally halted near a clearing and, turning around, shot a look into the nearby underbrush at the large shadowy figure hiding there.

"_You might as well come out, I know you are there,"_ he yowled.

A whine came from the bushes,_ "How do I know I can trust you?"_

He meowed and murmured back,_ "Because, I know who you are and why you are here. Follow me further in."_ He turned again and led the shadow further into the forest to another clearing, hidden from the castle. When he halted here, the shadow moved cautiously out into the open. A huge, black, shaggy dog inched forward, looking completely around the clearing before approaching and lying down in front of the cat.

Crookshanks walked up to the great beast and sniffed its muzzle in greeting. "_Heya, Paddy."_

"_Do I know you?"_ the beast said, a bit confused.

"_It's been twelve full seasons, but yes, you knew me. You knew me as Pye…"_

"_Pyewackit! Of course, Lily's cat! How could I forget? It must have been the Dementors, they suck out everything good…"_ he whined again, this time casting his eyes down.

"_I know," _the cat commiserated, rubbing his cheek against the large nose._ "I've felt them myself. One was on the school train and they are posted at the entrance to the school."_ He looked his past companion in the eye._ "But the traitor is here, Paddy, he's in the castle hiding as a pet rat. I know who he is; he lives in the red and gold tower…"_

This got his companion's attention immediately. _"Harry's dorm? He's in Harry's dorm! I knew he was at Hogwarts; I saw him in the paper on that student's shoulder, but in Harry's own room! " _The dog whined and yipped in agitation.

"_Paddy! Settle down. I've been trying to get him, but he's a slippery rodent. He's managed to escape me every time!"_

"_I need to get into the school; maybe I can get him…"_ the dog thought aloud.

"_How are you going to do that, Paddy? Walk in through the front doors? I don't think so; and you can't climb where I can go, you're too big and you don't have the claws for it."_

If a dog could grin, then Padfoot was definitely grinning. _"There are secret passages into the school, I've been using several to get onto the grounds, but there are others that lead right into the school. I just need to wait until there is a Hogsmeade weekend and I can use one of the routes from there."_

"_There's going to be one in a few days," _offered the Kneazle, remembering a discussion he had recently overheard in the common room. _"If you get in, do you think you'll be able to get into the dorm?"_

"_I think so, the Fat Lady always liked me," _Paddy said a bit conceitedly.

The cat raised his eyebrows at this, but decided to let it pass. _"The third-year dorms are at the top of the boy's side of the tower, the rat sleeps in the redhead's bed. I'll try to catch him and bring him to you, but if that doesn't work, you can try on Saturday while the students are either away or at the feast."_ He snuggled up to the black hound, rubbing his cheeks against the dog. _"It's been so long, Paddy, but I'm glad you're back. Take care of him this time, please?"_

"_I'll do everything I humanly can, Pye."_

"_You should know Moony is here, too, he's teaching Defence."_

"_That's good for Harry, but bad for me…"_

"_Why?"_

"_He still thinks I was the Secret-Keeper. We thought he was the traitor and never told him we were going to switch to Peter,"_ the Animagus explained.

"_Then you'll need to avoid him, Paddy,"_ he pointed out. _"I need to get going before they lock up the castle. I'll try to bring you food when I can. Good luck on Saturday."_ He rose to his feet and with one last lick goodbye on his friend's nose, eased himself back into the dark forest and headed quickly back to the castle. He felt immensely better that Sirius was here now; between the two of them they would catch the rat.

0000

October thirty-first dawned clear and crisp, the warm spell from earlier in the week a distant memory. Harry and Draco sat in the window-well of their favourite deserted classroom and watched as the other students filed out of the main doors, handing their permission forms to Professor McGonagall or Filch before heading down the carriageway towards the school gates and the road to Hogsmeade. Their father had told them he would take them the next day, but it wouldn't be the same. Twin sighs escaped as they saw their friends walking away.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Draco asked.

"I don't know... Dad is in town chaperoning so we can't go help him, and Hagrid is in the forest today so that's out. I hate to say it but it sounds like..."

"Homework," Draco grimaced.

Harry winced with his brother. "Yeah..."

"How about you boys join me instead?" came a voice from the doorway. They looked up and saw Professor Lupin standing there. "Don't look so surprised, you two have known me for over a year now, I figured it was time we get together and get to know each other a little better. And before you ask," he forestalled, raising a hand in the air, "yes, your father knows about this as does the headmaster. Come on," he encouraged at their hesitation, "I don't bite and it has to be better than an afternoon in the library?"

Well they couldn't disagree with that, in fact he was the best DADA teacher they'd had, and they both enjoyed his classes to a point, so they shrugged to each other and followed the mild-mannered professor out of the classroom and up to his third-floor office. While they walked, Harry sent a question along his bond to his father and received an affirmative in response. It never hurt to check, he felt. And just in case, he always had his Portkey. He put a hand to his chest to verify it was still there, noticing that his brother was doing the same exact manoeuvre. They grinned at each behind the professor's back.

Professor Lupin kept up a continuous stream of chat as they walked the corridors, asking about their classes.

"Draco, what is your favourite class? I hear you have a dab hand at potions, but Hagrid is constantly praising your performance in his sessions," the professor asked at one point.

Draco took a moment before answering. "I've never really thought about it, sir. I always thought I would follow Uncle... dad... in potions, but Hagrid has really opened my eyes to the world of magical creatures. I just don't know which I would pursue. I never really had to think of this before, I was always supposed to follow Lucius into politics, but that is out – and I don't really like politics. Not to say I'm not good at it – I wouldn't have been sorted into Slytherin, otherwise; but I never really liked the atmosphere at the Ministry," he explained, almost babbling.

"What about you, Harry?" Lupin directed at Harry.

"I'm not really good at any one thing," he began. "I like defence, and I love flying. Potions is alright – but I'm not brilliant at it like Draco or Hermione... I just don't know." He looked up at his professor who nodded as if he understood.

"Well, you two still have several years to go before you need to choose – if at all." He stopped in front of an old door and opened it for his two visitors, ushering them in ahead of him. "Here we are, come on in and I'll call for some tea and biscuits." He followed words with actions by walking over to his floo and calling the kitchens. In short order he was carrying a tray with three cups, a steaming pot of tea and a plate of still warm biscuits over to the low table in front of his sofa where the boys were perched.

They had been looking all around at the quirky furnishings: a tank in one corner held murky water where a creature could be seen swimming every so often, pressing its face up against the glass, spindly webbed fingers splayed next to it. Books were stacked everywhere and covered a multitude of subjects, several folded open to lay either face up or down; and others with bookmarks sticking out from several places along the tops of the tomes. Lithographs adorned the walls, where there weren't any bookcases, depicting various spells and their consequences. Besides books, the bookshelves held a wide selection of objects that the boys had absolutely no clue as to what they did. But many were made of shiny metal and whirled and ticked to themselves, while others apparently didn't do anything except sit there and look interesting.

Harry did have a question he wanted to ask the professor; they'd had an interesting lesson on boggarts a few weeks back and Harry had been stunned when he hadn't been given a chance to face the creature. He wanted to know why. The lesson had been the talk of the school for days – mostly due to Neville's fear of Professor Snape. Even after the outside lessons, and visiting over the manor over the summer, the third-year Gryffindor still had a healthy fear of the man, especially when he was teaching. So when the boggart had inevitably turned into a sneering, overbearing version of Snape – on the advice of Professor Lupin – Neville had said the charm, 'Riddikulus' and Boggart-Snape had turned into Boggart-Snape-wearing-Mrs Longbottom's-Dress-and-Hat. The class had died laughing and it had taken only two passing periods before the entire school knew what had happened. Severus had been livid. So, Harry was anticipating his turn. But when it came, Lupin had ended the class by banishing the boggart.

"Professor, why didn't you let me face the boggart?" he asked this afternoon.

Lupin looked stunned for a moment, then reddened. "Ah, caught that, did you? Very well, Harry, I'll be frank – I thought you would conjure He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry nodded. "I thought of him at first," he admitted. "But then I thought it might have been Uncle Vernon, but realised just as my turn came that it would have to be a Dementor."

"Afraid of fear; yes, that would be you from what I've seen. Quite a mature outlook, I must say. I'm sorry, then. But, you would have passed out just as if it had been a real Dementor," he explained. "They take on all characteristics of the creature they are impersonating."

Harry shuddered at this news, and Draco paled as well, setting his cup down on the table before he sloshed the contents from his hand trembling. But then Harry bit his lip and looked up at the elder wizard. "How do I fight them? The Dementors?"

"There is only one spell that can stop a Dementor – the Patronus Charm. But it is a very advanced spell, Harry, I only teach it to seventh years. A third year is just too young to master it. Just stay away from the boundaries of the school property and you'll be fine, they're not allowed past those boundary lines." Harry nodded his thanks.

"You know, Harry, I was very good friends with your parents... well, your mother and your step-father," he qualified when both boys shot him a look that barely concealed their surprise at his slip. "Sorry, even though I knew the truth – I wasn't allowed to speak of it, and James always thought you were his – it became habit. In any case, I have lots of stories about them, if you ever want to hear them," he offered.

"Why doesn't Dad like you very much?" Harry blurted out, then reddened as he stammered an apology for being so bold. "Well, I mean, he and mum included only you on their secret – and mum entrusted my parentage to only you. I thought he might like you a little better than he apparently does."

"He tolerates me, Harry; that is exceedingly different than like," Lupin explained, relaxing back in his chair, waving off the apology as unnecessary. "A lot of that is ancient history, Harry. Let's just leave it at we were in opposite houses and there was an intense rivalry between the people I hung out with and the group Severus was on the fringes of. Lily was the one thing we all had in common. While your father could not abide James, Sirius and Peter – he tolerated me, which is why I was their witness when they married. I was the only one they could both agree upon. But when it was discovered there was a spy amongst the Marauders – that's what we called ourselves – he assumed it was me."

"Why?" Draco asked.

"For various reasons that are not pertinent to this discussion. Your father considers me weak and cowardly and he is entitled to his own opinion. However, he knows that I'm one of the few connections you have to your mother, so he is allowing me to visit with you."

Harry nodded, although he felt that the professor was leaving out too many details that were probably important. He would just ask his dad later. They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the office and investigating the various different objects and creatures the professor possessed. Harry and Draco secretly decided that while Professor Lupin was relatively harmless enough and he taught a fantastic class, he still gave off vibes they did not like and so they kept their distance while being polite. Lupin did notice the distance, and he sighed inwardly to himself. He really should have tried to find Harry earlier in his life... that was water under the bridge, now, however. He leaned up against his door jamb as he watched them depart down the corridor at supper time.

Harry and Draco discussed their afternoon, comparing notes on what they had seen in the Defence office.

"The grindylow was fascinating, Drake, but I really liked the prints showing the spells!" Harry exclaimed as they turned past their favourite unused classroom.

"I liked the defence books... hey, isn't that Granger's cat?" Draco pointed out. The cat was sitting very primly in front of an old statue of a witch who was humpbacked and had a patch over one eye. Harry peered at the cat who was washing its paw and ignoring the duo.

"Yeah, it is. Wonder what he's doing here? Ah, well, at least he's not up in the dorm terrorizing Scabbers." Harry shrugged as they continued on down the corridor.

By the time they joined everyone else coming back from the trip to Hogsmeade for dinner, they were both in better moods and ready to enjoy the descriptions of the various shops in the little village. Soon their eyes and stomachs were captured by the feast and the entertainments the staff had devised for the holiday evening.

Thus it was a complete surprise when the Gryffindors made their way back to their tower and found they were unable to get in because their portrait had been slashed by Sirius Black.

0000

_Earlier that evening..._

Crookshanks made his way to the third floor, past an unused classroom to a niche containing a humpbacked statue of a one-eyed witch. He would have to explore that classroom some more – he had felt a cool breeze coming through the cracked open door, and he felt sure that a window was open in there. He took his position beside the statue, keeping his yellow eyes scanning the hallway until he finally heard the statue grate open behind him just moments after Harry and Draco had passed by to head to feast.

"All clear, my friend?" came the nearly silent whisper behind him. He nodded his head, but kept his eyes on the corridor ahead of him as he led his friend quickly through the back ways to the seventh floor entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

He looked up at Sirius as they reached the portrait hole and was surprised to see what the once rakishly handsome man now looked like. He was skin and bones, his robes in tatters that he held close to his emaciated frame. His hair was long and dirty, snarled and in knots as it swung around his face. His beard and moustache had grown too long and were unkempt in their appearance, and dirt was ground in everywhere there was skin showing. Several prison tattoos were evident as well, declaring to all that this was a dangerous man. He looked worse than the prison photo he had seen in August.

"Who goes there?" demanded the portrait. "You're not a student! Be gone from here!"

"I'm not a student now, but I was, Brunhilde," Sirius began sweet-talking the animated painting. "Don't you remember me? Sirius Black? I was your favourite. I need to get in the tower, Brunny, please? I left something hidden in there and I need to get it back," he wheedled.

"Do you have the password?" she asked determinedly, not moved at all by his pleading.

"No, of course not, I'm not a student any longer. I won't do anything, Brunhilde, I promise. Just dart in and get what I left and leave! Very quick," he angled, trying to turn on the old Black charm, but Crookshanks could tell Sirius was getting frustrated as his efforts fell on unsympathetic ears.

"No password, no entrance," she said, flatly denying him. She had been the guardian portrait for many years and had heard all types of excuses from children and past students alike. The rule always remained: no password, no entrance, and _no_ exceptions.

"Brunhilde, please! I have to get in!" he was beginning to sound desperate.

"No! And that's my final word!" She sniffed in disdain towards him and turned her face away. Sirius' frustration got the better of him and he threw, what amounted to, a temper tantrum in front of the portrait.

"ARRGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! HE'S RIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS BLASTED PORTRAIT!" he shouted, pounding his fists on the wall next to the recalcitrant picture. Brunhilde gave him a shocked look at his behaviour and before Crooks could stop him, Sirius had pulled a knife from his boot and began attacking the painting, slashing his way through the canvas and causing the Fat Lady to scream in terror, pick up her skirts and take flight. They could hear her screams fade into the background as she ran further and further away from the madman, jumping from portrait to portrait.

Crookshanks leaped onto his friends shoulder and cuffed him a good one across the ear to get his attention. Sirius whined as the sharp claws bit into the sensitive flesh and with one last growl, Sirius transformed into the big black dog and tore off back down the hallway to the rear stairwells that would lead them back to the third floor niche, with Crookshanks following closely behind ready to lend a paw when needed. Sirius slid down the opening and it closed just as the first teachers began to search the corridors for the elusive Sirius Black.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, dgpolo was the first with the correct answer as to Pye's name origin. It was indeed the movie "Bell, Book and Candle", a delightful movie that is one of mine - and Lily's - favorites. Pyewackit was the cat/familiar in the movie; a very smart feline whose name was the inspiration for my own real feline's name. My own Pye was also a smarter than average cat who would wake me from a sound sleep in the middle of the night with telepathy alone just to let her into the house. One Note: Chapters from here on out may be a bit slow in coming as I am quickly catching up to what I had written. So, please be patient. Now, on to Chapter 6.  
**

Harry had never been hustled to his father's quarters so fast in his life. Dumbledore had barely ordered the entire school back down to the Great Hall when Severus had appeared at Harry's side, grabbed his elbow and, with his famous black wand being used to move people bodily out of the way, nearly levitated his son down to the dungeons and through the oak door to their personal quarters. Harry had been so stunned, he hadn't even protested before he was dumped on the sofa.

Harry watched wide-eyed from the sofa as Severus, his robes billowing in his long-strided wake, checked all the wards in the rooms, strengthening some around the floo and windows and making sure Salazar did not let anyone enter from the classroom office. Severus took a moment to check on his son, who had retreated into his old knees-up, cram-himself-into-the-corner-of-the-sofa stance as he watched his father, in his eyes, wig-out. Severus sighed as he moved to stand in front of the floo, giving Harry his full attention now that safety had been assured.

"Harry, you'll stay here tonight," he insisted, placing his wand back up into his wrist holster. "We know that Black is after you, and he has somehow managed to get into the castle despite all of our safeguards. Do not leave these rooms – he could be anywhere in the castle. Do you understand?"

Harry's burgeoning Adam's apple started bobbing up and down as he swallowed reflexively in fear.

"Y... y... yes, Dad," he answered. "Where's Draco?" he felt all alone in the rooms, especially as he knew his father would be leaving soon. Normally, staying alone in the dungeon quarters did not frighten him, but tonight was an exception. Despite all of his father's protections, he felt vulnerable and exposed – a feeling he thought he had gotten over. He reached over with his right hand and ran it reassuringly over the bulge under the sleeve of his left arm where Silicia was trembling.

"He's with all the other students, bedding down in the Great Hall. This is the safest place for you tonight while I go and help to find the traitor." Severus came closer and knelt in front of Harry, placing both hands down on the sofa on either side of his son, looking him straight in the eyes. Harry relaxed with the gesture, bringing his legs down to sit Indian fashion on the cushions. "Please, Harry. Don't leave here. I'll be back before morning, I promise you. To be honest, I think he is long gone – but better safe than sorry, eh?" he asked, raising one hand to run his fingers along the side of Harry's face. Harry nodded and Severus patted him once on the cheek before rising.

"Get some sleep, Son. It's been a long exhausting day. I'll see you in the morning."

Harry watched his father leave through the door, hearing the squelch of a sealing charm secure the door tight. Nothing would get past it now until his dad released the charm. It helped to release a modicum of his tension.

He got up and padded down the hallway to his bedroom, changing quickly into pyjamas and doing his nightly ablutions. He had taken to placing his long hair at night into a single plait that hung half-way down his back so that it wouldn't become such a chore in the morning to get the snarls out. He looked at it tonight, wondering how long he would grow it but finally grew bored with the question. He did study his body some in the mirror.

He was beginning to fill out with the workouts he and Draco were doing, and he thought he was finally gaining some height although Madame Pomfrey and his dad both thought he would never gain Severus' height. The years of malnutrition had taken their toll, despite Lily's glamour dissipating and Severus nearly force-feeding him the nutritive potion last year. But, he thought, he might make a decent final showing by the time he was done growing.

He really wished he wasn't spending most of the night here alone. This thought kept spinning through his head, along with "Why me?" He never could come up with a decent answer.

Sighing, he _nox_-ed the lights in the loo, then headed over to his desk and pulled out his current journal. This was one of the ones he had received at Christmas time from Draco. Making sure Silicia was coiled far enough up his arm; he turned to the next blank page in the notebook and began to write about his adventures today and his thoughts on Professor Lupin and Sirius Black.

_I don't know why he bothers me, but he does. There is something that he is not telling me; something important. I don't think I could really trust him until I know what it is. I know it has to do with me or my mum, somehow. He gets this odd look in his eyes sometimes when he looks at me. Sirius Black scares me too. How could someone who is supposed to be your best friend betray your entire family to Moldy-shorts? What did the murdering bastard promise Black anyway to ensure he would hand over James, my mum and me? I just don't understand. _

_I wish Dad would get back soon. It's scary down here when it is only me. Especially on a night like this. Did you know that tonight is the anniversary of mum and James death? Twelve years ago tonight. I haven't mentioned anything to Dad, I'm too afraid to. I don't want to remind him. Maybe we need to talk about it soon._

He finished up his ramblings, capping the biro and tucking it in the spine of the notebook. He went to lie down on his bed, but he kept tossing and turning. He tried Occlumency, tried mentally running through katas... nothing worked. He was too far on edge. Eventually, after nearly tangling himself in the covers, he grabbed his defence textbook, the duvet off his bed and went back out to the sofa. He stole a look at the clock on the mantel. Ten o'clock. He watched as the hands flipped over to the hour and listened as they played the Westminster chimes and tolled out the hour. Eventually, he wandered to the table and tapped it with his wand. A snack tray shimmered into place. Smiling, he carried it back to the sofa, placing the tray on the short table. Fixing a plate of warm biscuits with fresh icing in the shape of pumpkins, witches on brooms and nebulous ghosts, and a glass of ice-cold pumpkin juice, he sat back in the sofa, wrapped up in the duvet and cracked open his Defence book.

* * *

After seeing that Harry was settled in the rooms for the night, Severus joined the hunt for Black – although he suspected that the man had escaped. All the teachers took turns either watching over the children sleeping in the Great Hall - looking as if the floor had turned into a strange, choppy purple ocean - or searching the castle.

Eventually, around three a.m., Dumbledore declared that it was useless to continue searching; it was obvious that Black was no longer in the castle. Disgruntled, Severus returned to his quarters to find Harry sprawled on the sofa under a comforter from his bed. The remnants of a snack tray graced the sofa table and his defence book hung limply from his fingers as they dangled over the edge.

Chuckling to himself, the professor closed the book – placing it on the table, banished the tray, and woke his son up just enough to stumble down to his room.

"Dad?" Harry asked as Severus held back the covers for the boy to crawl under. "Did you find him?"

"No, he already escaped," he said, sighing. "Harry, where were you this afternoon?" his father asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Draco and I met up with Professor Lupin after lunch and he invited us in to his office to talk. He said he wanted to get to know us better. He said you approved of us meeting him. We were there until dinnertime. Why? You sent back along the link that it was all right." Severus patted his son on the knee reassuringly when he noticed that Harry was agitated by the implications in the question.

"I know; I wasn't entirely sure where you were at the time. Lupin had asked if he could talk to you and I reluctantly agreed. I was just checking. Someone helped Black into the castle – of that I'm sure. I suspected it might have been Lupin, but he wouldn't have had time..." He shook his head as the thoughts whirled through it, never quite coalescing. "Never mind. It's still night, you need to go back to sleep." He held the covers up by their top edge as Harry slid down to curl up on his side. Severus placed the cover back down, patting down the edges to ensure proper tuckage.

"Why would he help Sirius Black? Wasn't he essentially betrayed by Black?" Harry asked after yawning.

"The Marauders were thick as thieves, Son. There is no telling what they would do for each other. But, it was just a suspicion. Now, do you need help sleeping?"

Harry hesitated a moment, then nodded his head.

"Let's try your Occlumency then. Start your breathing, that's right..." Severus led Harry quickly through the relaxation and Occlumency exercises they had set up as a nightly routine and Harry Snape was soon asleep.

0000

The talk, the next couple of days, centred around the portrait attack and the fact that Professor Trelawney had apparently stated in class on Friday that the Grim was stalking Harry. Ron was absolutely convinced that Harry was going to die soon until Hermione pointed out that Harry had to _see_ the Grim before he could, and Harry hadn't seen anything like a Grim – a huge, black dog-like creature – since term had started.

Ron left it off with, "You'll tell if you ever see one, right, Harry?"

Harry placated his friend with a mumbled, "Yeah, sure, Ron. If I ever see a Grim, I'll tell you." Ron jumped as a bolt of lightning, with accompanying thunder, streaked across the reflected sky of the Great Hall.

"Bloody hell, is this weather ever going to let up?"

"Language, Ronald," Hermione chided automatically. She was trying to eat her sandwich and read from her Arithmancy book at the same time. Harry just shrugged.

"I don't know – but Oliver reckons it'll be just like this on Saturday for the game, so we're practicing nearly every night this week. He's graciously giving us Friday night off so we can get some sleep!" he said sarcastically.

Ron grimaced as he thought about practicing in this weather. He patted Harry on the shoulder in sympathy. "Better you than me, mate."

Draco came over then with Boot and Goldstein and they all headed up to Defence Against the Dark Arts. They were quite surprised when they entered the classroom and discovered Professor Snape instead of Professor Lupin standing at the front of the room.

Draco and Harry shared a look and immediately headed for the front centre pair of desks, pulling out their books as they took their seats. Severus spared them an indulgent look then refocused on the rest of the students filing in and grumbling at the change of teacher.

A wave of his wand, and the doors shut behind the last student with a clang and his characteristic spidery writing began to appear on the chalkboard behind him.

"Turn to page 394 in your textbook, we are studying werewolves today."

Hermione's hand immediately hit the air, and the professor rolled his eyes but allowed her to speak.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Sir, where is Professor Lupin? We were supposed to start red-caps today," she added helpfully.

"I am aware of what you were _supposed_ to start today; however, we are having a change of topic. Professor Lupin is ill and will not be back teaching until next Monday," he snapped out.

Groans met this statement, except for Harry and Draco who looked like Christmas had come early. "Now, turn to page 394, THIS INSTANT!" and a flick of his wand opened those books that had not already been turned to the correct page. Ron muttered a curse under his breath behind Harry, and Harry was hard pressed not to snicker. Really, Ron should know by now that Snape always meant business when it came to teaching. He brooked no dissent in his class, whether potions or defence. He may be nicer when in a social setting with his sons and their friends, but not in the professional world.

"Now, who can tell me the differences between a werewolf and an Animagus wolf or common wolf?" He ignored Hermione's hand, hoping someone else would raise theirs. Finally Harry, Draco and Neville raised theirs.

"Very well, Mr Longbottom; give us two of the differences, if you please."

Neville stood up slowly; keeping his eyes pinned on a spot behind his professor. "A...a... werewolf has a tufted tail, and... and cannot choose whether or not to change. He must change when the moon is full..." His eyes got very big then and he immediately dropped to his seat.

"Insightful. Two points to Gryffindor. Mr Potter-Snape, what are two more features?" he directed at Harry.

"A werewolf's snout is more pointed, sir, and the eyes tend to be yellowish instead of blue or brown," Harry rattled off. He and Draco had studied creatures all summer long, and they had both been fascinated by the werewolf.

"Very good, two more points to Gryffindor. Now the history of the werewolf dates as far back as the early Egyptians..." He began his lecture, taking up the rest of the period, and assigned an essay to be turned in on Monday on how to identify a werewolf, its common characteristics, and how to defend yourself if you were ever unfortunate enough to be around one who had changed. He knew this would be an easy assignment for his sons, so he held them back and assigned them a different project: Lethifolds and Dementors.

"But Dad, it's Quidditch on Saturday!" Harry whinged. "Oliver has us out every night this week..." He stopped when he saw the look on his father's face quickly turn to thunderous, and Draco elbowed him in his kidney. He hung his head murmuring, "Sorry, sir."

"You have more than enough time to research and write this essay, Mr Snape," he said with contempt for his son's behaviour evident in his tone of voice. "Now, you better both be going – I won't write an excuse for you to your next class!" he dismissed them, and both boys took off running.

"You like to live dangerously, don't you?" Draco asked as they headed for the intersection where they parted ways.

Harry grinned, "Always!" He waved his hand as they separated and headed for their respective classes.

* * *

Friday night, Harry was heading back from the library when a movement down on the grounds caught his attention. He hurried over to the window, cranking it open so he could peer better on the moonlit grounds, thanking Merlin that the moon was full tonight and he was able to distinguish shapes better.

As he watched, a small shadow detached itself from the edges of the forest and wandered along until it met up with another huge black shape, a humongous dog, who greeted the smaller shape like a friend. Harry's mouth nearly dropped when he realised that the smaller shape was Crookshanks. But who was the dog? It wasn't the same shape as Fang, Hagrid's hound – although it was probably close in size. This one seemed as black as ink, blacker than the shadows it had been hiding among. It almost looked like... Ron's description of a Grim.

But Grim's were supposed to be shades, hell-hounds, not something as mundane as a big dog that had made friends with a half-Kneazle. He watched a moment longer until they disappeared back into the forest, and it started sprinkling again, forcing him to close the window.

He was just imagining things. He shook his head to himself and continued on to the tower. He had a game with Hufflepuff tomorrow, and he needed to get some sleep.

* * *

The Kneazle slipped out the Gryffindor portrait hole following some fifth-years heading to the library. He eased his way past the students and trotted down to the unused classroom that he had found the night Sirius had come in. He had been pleased to discover it looked out over a covered walkway. An added bonus was that the room had Harry's scent all over it, as well as his sibling's. Apparently, they came here often.

The window in here was simple to open as it was cracked open already and just a push of the paw widened the gap. The drop was just a few feet to the roof; easy for an experienced roamer like Crookshanks. From there he travelled the length of the roof top, his pads and claws finding purchase on the rain-slicked red tiles, and jumped onto a branch of an old Rowan tree conveniently planted at the end of the walkway.

He scrambled down the tree and leapt from the lowest fork in the trunk to the springy, wet grass below; heading off down the slope past Hagrid's cabin and muddy vegetable garden to the woods beyond. The rain had stopped for a while, but the wind was still whipping around, ruffling his fur as he scampered along the edge of the dark trees, leaving rain filled paw prints silvering in the full moonlight behind him. Rumbles of thunder echoed through the forest foretelling of a future downpour. Minutes later, he met up with Sirius.

The dog was waiting for him, pacing, clearly agitated. They greeted each other then Paddy led them into the forest to their little glade. Crooks padded up to him and rubbed against his forelegs until he lay down and they greeted each other.

"_Well, I messed that up, pretty well." _The dog complained.

"You had to try, Paddy. Now they have a new portrait – at least until the Fat Lady is restored."

"I'm sorry about her, I was just so frustrated! What about the rat?" _he enquired_.

"Hiding in the dorm room. He hasn't come out in ages, and Ron won't bring him near me. Seems to think I have it in for poor 'Scabbers'," _he said amusedly_.

"_You think?" _Paddy chuckled along, lolling his tongue out the side of his mouth._ "So that's what they call him, huh? 'Scabbers'…"_

"_Fits him too, his fur is falling out in patches, and he's all scabby and thin. Seems to be suffering from a nervous condition…"_

"_Yes, _we're_ his nervous condition!" _The two animals had themselves a fine old time laughing over Peter's condition, but after a while, Paddy laid his head on his paws and sighed. Crooks rubbed up against his head in comfort and began washing his friend's muzzle.

"_What's got you down, Paddy?"_he softly asked a few moments later_._

"_I wish I could see Harry."_ His brown eyes softened as he thought about his godson._ "I haven't really had a chance for a good look at him."_

"_Go to the match tomorrow," _suggested the Kneazle, a gleam in his eyes.

"_Quidditch match? Harry is playing this weekend?"_ His ears literally picked up at this, and his tail started wagging, scattering fallen leaves across the wet forest floor. _"I wonder if he is as good as James? Or me?"_ he mused. _"I would love to see him fly…"_

"_That is all they're talking about in the common room – this weekend's match. They were supposed to play Slytherin, but their seeker is injured – although Harry says the boy is faking it – so they are now playing Hufflepuff. You can hide in the stands and watch from there – with this weather, a lot of students will be staying inside…"_ As if on cue, a huge flash of lightning lit up the glade, followed by a deep boom of rolling thunder, and large drops of rain began spattering down, matting the animal's fur.

"_Pyewackit, you are the smartest cat there is! That's a wonderful idea!"_


	7. Chapter 7

Harry moaned to himself when he woke up on Saturday morning and discovered, to his distaste, that the weather was still wet and stormy. The gloomy feeling persisted as he trudged down to breakfast, carrying his broom with him. Luckily Hermione had taught him the water-repelling charm, _Impervius_, for his glasses, so he would be able to see – but it would be impossible to catch the snitch, much less see it, with how dark the sky was and the wind buffeting everything to and fro.

Draco wished him good luck, as did his father, as they headed towards their respective breakfasts. Ron, Hermione and Neville were soon sitting next to him and they were joined by the rest of the team. The twins didn't look depressed by the weather and Oliver just became more fanatic about winning the game against Hufflepuff, if that were possible. He had budged Ron over so that he could sit next to Harry and continually natter at him about the Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric Diggory.

"He's new this year, Snape, but he's wicked fast – although not as fast as you, not with your Nimbus and smaller stature!" he assured the teen. "Just get the Snitch as fast as possible. We're not looking for points here, just a quick end to the game. It's just the first game of the season – we can worry about points later. I can't believe the Slytherins are pulling out just because their seeker scratched his arm!"

"He's faking it," Harry mumbled into his pumpkin juice.

"I don't understand why they don't have a spare seeker!" Oliver continued complaining.

"Nott _is_ their spare, Draco was their first string player," Harry reminded his captain. Oliver coloured slightly at his gaffe.

"Sorry, forgot. Still, why didn't the professor step in and insist that Nott was fine?"

"It was the captain's decision and dad doesn't interfere with his captain." Oliver nodded at this insight into the Slytherin team dynamics, then continued to badger the other players until Fred and George shared a look, then got up and physically removed their captain from the table and frog-marched him out the doors with the rest of the team reluctantly following.

Harry sighed and joined the general Quidditch migration, pulling his hood over his head and holding it there with one hand as he ran to the stadium. He should have given it up as a lost cause because he was still soaked to the skin when he reached the locker-rooms. Several drying charms later, and a few warmth charms applied to his Quidditch uniform, and soon they were all standing under the canopy that would open to admit them to the stadium. They were warm and dry for the last time that morning until Harry – or Cedric – caught the Snitch.

* * *

"Annnnd they're off!" Lee Jordan cried into the microphone as the two teams took to the sky after Madame Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air and released the bludgers. A moment later, as the players were flying around, the tiny golden Snitch was released and the teacher hovered the ball chest to the sidelines and mounted her broom to fly as referee.

"And Gryffindor has possession, Katie Bell passes to Angelina who fakes to the left and throws and SCORES! Gryffindor 10, Hufflepuff 0!"

Keeping one ear on the commentary, as they could barely see one hundred metres from their position in the stands, Severus and Draco watched as Harry and Cedric circled the pitch, well above the other players, as they searched for the Snitch. It was obvious in this downpour that both teams wanted to end the game quickly and their play showed it; both houses were playing aggressively, which was uncharacteristic for the Hufflepuffs.

Severus had brought out a large black umbrella which he held over Draco and himself. It was spelled underneath with a rain repellent and warmth charms, but the weather still managed to buffet them in their seats.

Draco yelled out in warning when a bludger came particularly close to his brother, but there was no way Harry could have heard him – although the slighter wizard did manage to move out of the way in time. At one point Severus felt his heart leap into his mouth as Diggory went into a sudden dive, but Harry had sussed him out and did not follow. Meanwhile, the points were adding up on either side of the scoreboard and the Snapes watched Oliver fly up to Harry at one point and give him pointers, although nothing could be heard over the roar of the crowds and the crashing of the thunder and torrential rains. Harry shook his head and flew off leaving his captain still shouting directions at him.

* * *

Harry flew away from Oliver, searching the skies and the area below him for the snitch. Wait, was that a glint hovering near a Gryffindor stand? He looked around for Cedric and, not seeing his opponent, flew over casually to investigate... but it was just a seventh-years' gold watch. Harry pulled his broom up and drifted higher... until he nearly fell off his broom in surprise when he spotted a large, black dog at the top of the Gryffindor stands.

A Grim? If it was a Grim, it certainly didn't _look_ grim; instead its eyes seemed to be glinting with a hint of amusement and its tongue was lolling out in some sort of doggie grin. In fact, it looked like the dog he'd seen the other night that had met up with Hermione's cat. He shook his head to clear it. When he looked again the dog was gone and Cedric was speeding past him, nearly sending Harry into a sloth-roll in his wake, heading into the clouds chasing a little gold ball with wings. Harry cursed as he turned on the spot and leaned closer to the broom handle of his Nimbus, streaking after Cedric.

"And the Seekers have spotted the Snitch! Cedric Diggory is leading the chase, but Harry Potter-Snape is closing in on him!" rang Lee's enthusiastic voice over the announcement system.

Severus and Draco peered out from underneath the umbrella and spotted the two players soaring and zig-zagging across the sky in an all-out effort to catch the elusive golden ball.

Closer and closer Harry approached his fellow seeker, all other aspects of the game falling away from him as they soared higher and faster after the ball. The game and the noise of the crowds was so far below that they could no longer hear it over the storm and the wind. The Snitch led them on a merry chase through the turbulent skies, and the two seekers were chasing it with everything they had. Soon, Harry was neck and neck with Diggory and they were reaching their hands out towards the prize, fingers stretched to their limit. Harry snuck a look over at Cedric and they grinned with the shared exhilaration of the chase. Harry reached out a little further, straining his fingers to touch the fluttery wings – he could almost feel them... when he felt something crackle along his broom. He looked back over his shoulder and nearly fell off when he saw a black cowled and cloaked Dementor crawling hand over hand up his now ice-covered broomstick toward him.

He screamed and tried to shake the creature off, twisting his broom in the air in order to yank the twigs from the skeletal hands. Finally it worked and Harry veered off, only to find himself amidst several more Dementors. The rain was turning to ice in their presence, coating him and his broom as he screamed in terror – the memories of his mother and step-father dieing being yanked to the forefront of his mind. He raised his frozen hands to his ears, scrunching his face in pain, in a vain attempt to block out the noise, but it still penetrated and he fell unconscious, never noticing as he plummeted off his broom.

* * *

Draco screamed when he noticed the body falling towards the earth; the red and gold-wrapped body that was rapidly falling... but Dumbledore and his father were fast, each incanting _Arresto Momentum_ at the same time. It slowed Harry's fall, but he still hit the pitch with a resounding thud and bounced twice before coming to a rest, limbs akimbo, glasses smashed, and face white as a sheet while the rain continued to pour from the heavens.

Without quite realising how it happened, Draco found he and his father by Harry's side before the teams had even landed and Dumbledore, with several other Professors, was herding the Dementors away from the pitch and back to the gates, which they were in violation of crossing. It was the first time Draco had seen the headmaster thoroughly incensed over something. The man almost had steam coming out of his ears, he was that furious with the creatures.

Severus was taking wand readings of Harry's condition as he waited for Madame Pomfrey to hurry from the castle. He didn't want to move Harry and possibly cause him more injury than had already been inflicted, he explained to his older son as they waited. He stabilised what injuries he could, stoically keeping his anxiety hidden behind his mask, but Draco knew his father and he knew that the older wizard was practically overridden with worry about Harry. Draco was as well; he had never seen anyone survive a fall from that high up.

"Severus, what happened?" Pomfrey queried as she rushed over.

"He fell off his broom when Dementors found him. Albus and I cast an arresting charm, but it was nearly too late. As it was, he bounced a few times when he hit the turf. I've discovered several cracked and broken bones, many contusions and cuts... but I believe he is safe enough to move indoors at this point," the Potions master summed up for the Medi-witch.

She absorbed his report as she scanned the boy herself. She quickly came to the same conclusions. "But let us immobilise his neck and spine just to make sure, shall we?"

By this time, Draco noticed that both teams had landed and had made a circle around the group tending to Harry. Diggory looked especially worried. He sighed to himself before levering himself off the soaked grass and walked over to the older student.

"Diggory." He nodded his head toward Cedric.

"Snape."

"Look, there wasn't anything you could have done – you didn't even know Harry was in danger, I could tell that from down here. Don't beat yourself up about it," he advised.

"I still feel responsible... if only I'd looked back when I felt Harry slowing down, but the second he pulled back, the snitch nearly jumped into my hand! The next thing I know, it is starting to really get cold, and your brother was falling past me – he didn't look alive. I was so stunned I couldn't move or think properly!"

"I know... but you did win, fair and square."

"I'm still going to offer a rematch."

Draco snorted. "They won't take it; Merlin, Harry won't take it! You won, Diggory; you had no way of knowing Harry was being attacked, you had flown too far ahead by the time you realised he wasn't there. Leave it, Hufflepuff. Accept the win," he sagely advised.

"I don't know... I'll ask Harry, just in case." Draco just shrugged in response; he wasn't going to convince the fair-minded Seeker.

They stood there together watching as Severus and Pomfrey levitated Harry to a conjured stretcher, immobilising him and directing the stretcher ahead of them. With a motion of his head, Severus motioned Draco to join them in the long, wet walk and the boy was soon at his father's side after giving Cedric a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. He wouldn't have wanted to win a game this way, either.

The circle parted to let the little parade through and Draco was stunned to realise that outside of the ring of Quidditch players there was an even larger gathering of students who hadn't left after the end of the game. He spotted Hermione and the other Gryffindor faithful huddled together under a large red and gold umbrella, Hermione and Ginny Weasley had silent tears running down their cheeks as they watched the Snapes pass by. They walked past several more random students until he came across his dorm mates from Ravenclaw and a small, slight hand was clasping his quickly in sympathy before letting go and he glimpsed a head full of long, bright hair slip behind Boot. A gentle push in the back from his father reminded him they needed to keep going quickly and he hurried to catch up.

Snickers were what greeted them as they reached the stadium arch, but a sharp look from his father was all it took to shut up his former mates from Slytherin.

Draco pretty much blanked out on the rest of the trip to the hospital wing, but he became aware again as Harry was transferred to his favourite bed in the ward, his uniform vanished in favour of the striped hospital pyjamas, and a whole array of potions assembled themselves on the nightstand next to his bed. Draco could tell his brother was going to be having a tough time of it the rest of the night. He settled on a nearby bed to watch as his father and the matron worked their magic over his best mate.

* * *

"Draco... Dragon, wake up." Draco moaned as his eyelids fluttered open to reveal his father hovering over him, a hand on his shoulder shaking him gently.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, sitting up from the reclined position he had been in against the hard headboard of the bed.

"Dinner time. Professor Flitwick is here to take you to the Great Hall and then back to Ravenclaw." That news woke Draco up immediately.

"But Dad, Harry..."

"Is sound asleep and mending," he assured his son. "I'll be right here with him, don't worry, and you can come back after breakfast tomorrow." He offered a hand to the teen who gratefully accepted it and used the leverage to heave himself off the bunk. He took a step over to his brother's bed and was relieved to note that Harry did look much better than earlier and he allowed his head of house to lead him away.

Severus sighed as he watched Draco leave the infirmary, then grabbed the stack of papers he was reviewing and sat back down to mark them. Every now and then, Harry moaned to himself and tossed a bit in his sleep. Severus would reach over and smooth a hand over the long dark hair or take hold of Harry's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, which seemed to reassure his son, and the boy would calm down and drop into a deeper sleep.

Periodically, Poppy would wander by to check on her patient, clucking to herself as she made notations on his chart. As she came by for the fourth time that evening, Severus finally became unglued enough to bark at her.

"Stop that infernal noise, woman, and just tell me what the matter is!" he thundered.

"Severus!" She shot him a dangerous look as she rounded on the irate father. "There is nothing wrong, he is healing a little slower than I would like – but that is typical Harry."

Snape was barely mollified. "Then why all the tongue clacking? It's driving me to distraction!"

"Was I? I'm sorry, nervous habit I suppose. I never really noticed I was doing that." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I can see where it would be a bit annoying," she chuckled. Her companion only grumbled under his breath as he returned to the journal he was now reading. "Have you seen Albus?" she enquired, making notations in Harry's chart before spelling another dose of pain reliever into his stomach.

"He was here earlier," Severus acknowledged. "He came by to check on Harry while you were getting your supper. Apparently the crowd at the Quidditch game was too tempting a target for the Dementors and they forgot their training and slipped onto the grounds. He has set them straight and erected even more barriers to keep them from entering the grounds unbidden. How good that will work, I don't know."

Sighing, he closed his eyes in weariness, pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to stem the headache that was forming there. "I don't like them being here, Poppy," he confided, opening his eyes to gaze at his friend. "They are a rogue element that apparently didn't work as Black was _still_ able to get onto the grounds and up to Harry's tower," he quietly ranted. "And they could have killed Harry today with that stunt; he was lucky Albus and I both spotted him at the same time and were able to slow his descent – but still, it was a close thing." He reached out a slightly trembling hand and laid it on his son's brow, gently brushing away stray hairs from his face. He wished Harry was still small enough so that he could lift the boy into his lap, protecting him in his arms through the night, but Harry had grown enough this past year that it would have been a difficult manoeuvre to carry off. He settled for holding his son's hand instead. Poppy patted him on the shoulder once more.

"I'll leave you here, then. I'll be back in the morning. Do try and get some sleep yourself, Severus." He nodded absently at her suggestion and she sighed before turning back toward her office and the apartment beyond.

A short time later a little parade of Gryffindors entered the ward and filed quietly along the aisle until they came to Harry's bed where it faced the large windows that showed the Quidditch Pitch. Severus turned in his seat to face the motley crew, noting Granger and Weasley were at the front of the group.

"Professor," Hermione began.

"Miss Granger, please keep your voice down, my son is sleeping," he chided, standing up and moving the little group away from the bed.

"Of course, sir! Sorry. We just came to see how Harry was doing..." She tried to peer around the formidable father to catch a glimpse of her friend.

"He is mending. He should be back in classes by Monday," he supplied, bringing her attention back to him. "Is there anything else?"

Hermione reddened, but nodded her head in the affirmative. "We also wanted to leave him some get-well cards," she said, handing him a stack of envelopes that were addressed to Harry. "And we also brought back his broom, but uhhh..." She bit her lower lip in wariness of reporting something. She finally pushed Ron forward who seemed to be holding a large cloth bag that seemed full of... twigs?

"Well, sir... the wind grabbed hold of it after Harry fell and... well... it sort of landed in the Whomping Willow and you know how it hates things running into it..." This student coloured up as well and it seemed to paralyze his vocal cords in the process. Instead, he thrust the bag forward towards his professor.

Severus gave the students a curious look then took the burlap bag. He had a feeling he knew what was in it, and he reluctantly opened the top to gaze down at the contents. Splinters of shiny mahogany wood met his eyes; a rather largish piece sported the legend _Nimbus 20..._ in shiny gold letters before it broke off. Tufts of broom straw were mixed in liberally with the mess.

"Oh, my..." he groaned.

"I don't think it can be _Reparo_-ed," Oliver opined.

"No, Mr Woods, it certainly can not," the professor agreed. He sighed and closed the bag, setting it on the floor behind him. "When is your next match, Woods?"

"Not until March, sir, but we'll start practicing again in February."

"I'll make sure he has a new broom by then," he assured the Quidditch captain who seemed cheered by the news.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Now, it is nearing curfew – you have just enough time to make it back to the tower," he said as he chivvied them out of the infirmary, maintaining his stoic face until the door had closed on the smallest Weasley. Then he cracked a small smile to himself. Loyal friends were hard to come by in this world, and Harry seemed to have them in spades.

Another hour passed in quiet solitude, Harry had finally curled up in a more relaxed sleeping position, indicating that the potions were finally taking affect, and Severus was immersed in a fascinating article about the effects of North American mosses in the efficacy of some Native American potions. He almost didn't hear the snick of the door as it opened to admit the Defence professor. Snape had his wand out and pointed at the man without even looking up from his article. Lupin stopped in his tracks.

"What do you want, Lupin? It isn't time for your potion yet." He still hadn't looked up from the journal and the wand remained levelled at the man's chest.

"Of course not; I just came by to check on Harry, see how he was doing – it was such a nasty fall," he said sympathetically.

Severus finally looked up from the magazine and closing it deliberately and slowly, placed it on Harry's nightstand where his earlier work lay.

"I'm going to say this clearly, Lupin, I don't trust you. I don't think you would ever hurt Harry _deliberately_, but I don't think you would hesitate to help a perceived friend, even if it hurt others in the process. Do I make myself clear?"

Remus gazed at the protective father that was now standing between him and the sleeping child on the bed. "I didn't let Sirius into the castle, Severus," he said in a low, urgent voice. "He _betrayed_ us, he betrayed Lily! Hell, he even betrayed Harry – why would I let him in?"

"But you have your suspicions as to how he got in and got away, don't you?" Severus accused. He saw the man flinch and smiled grimly in satisfaction. "That's what I thought. I knew you and your so called band of marauders knew about some secret passages in and out of Hogwarts – besides the one to the Shrieking Shack."

"Filch knows all about the secret passages, Severus, and I checked the Whomping Willow passage myself that night; he's not staying at the shack," he pleaded. "I checked with Filch about the other passages – and he said they've all been used over the years – although one caved in during the spring last year. There is no telling who has been using them – but I'm sure it's just students."

"You're sure it's just students," Severus barked in a mocking manner. "Use your purported brains, Lupin; I know you were the brains of the bunch. Black had to have used one of the other passages to get in and out – it was the only way. None of the portraits saw him traipsing in the front or back doors." He weaved his wand lazily at the man. "For some reason, the headmaster trusts you. I think he has some misplaced loyalty, myself. My children, on the other hand, have a tendency to get 'bad vibes' from you – as Draco puts it so succinctly. Children have a remarkable capacity to understand things instinctively, Lupin, and I think they have you dead to rights."

"They seemed to enjoy the Hogsmeade afternoon in my offices," Remus murmured.

"They tolerated it, Lupin, and I allowed it as you are one of the only people who can tell Harry stories about his mother and I needed someone to watch them for me that afternoon as the rest of the heads of house needed to be in Hogsmeade. Harry tolerates you only marginally better than he does Dumbledore. Don't let it become a habit, because it won't." He gave the man a shrewd look. "I still believe, if given half the chance, you would help Black in whatever nefarious scheme he has cooking in his Dementor–addled brain." He ignored the mumbled no's coming from his fellow professor. "So let this be my warning to you: if Harry comes to any harm from Black, I will lay the blame securely at your door and will let your little furry affliction become known to the school in general."

"Severus, there is no need for threats; I hate Sirius as much as you do at this point. I wouldn't dare let him come near Harry or Draco, for that matter."

"Make sure you do. Now leave us, please. I will give Harry your regards when he awakens." He lowered his wand hand, but kept it ready as he narrowed his gaze on the other man, mentally shoving him towards the door. Lupin sighed, taking the hint, and started back down the aisle.

"Oh, and Lupin?" The other man halted and turned around, a half-hopeful look evident on his face.

"If I_ ever_ catch you using me as the butt of a Boggart Joke again, I'll renege all your rights to see Harry outside of class time. Augusta Longbottom's get-up? Really? That was low even for you, Wolf," he sneered.

Remus took a chance. "But it worked; Neville was able to do the charm."

"I've been working on fixing Longbottom's fear of me, Lupin. It has been a long journey since last year and this hasn't helped. Now the boy is doubly afraid of my reaction – and his potions work, which was improving, is back to disastrous. Don't do it again, I have a reputation to maintain and that little joke seriously undermined it on several levels. Besides," he continued, "you don't prank nearly as well as Potter and Black." Lupin had the good graces to redden before nodding in his colleague's direction. He then turned and retreated the rest of the way across the ward, letting the doors close quietly behind him. Severus didn't relax his stance until Lupin was out of sight, then he rolled his shoulders and neck to get the kinks out of them and returned to his seat, reaching for his interrupted reading material.

* * *

"_Pye, it was an awful idea! He got distracted when he saw me, and then the Dementors came… it was horrendous. There were so many of them... The cold permeated everything, and I felt like I was back in my cell…"_ He shivered at the memory, closing his eyes against the vision. He had lost the plot, tearing out of the stands as soon as he had felt the first touch of the cold._ "When he fell from his broom,"_ he continued,_ "I thought my heart would stop right then and there." _

He had stopped halfway back to the forest when he had heard the screams. He'd turned around and looked up in time to see his godson fall off the broom, and Dumbledore's save. He opened his eyes to look at his friend again._ "Thank Merlin for Dumbledore! He slowed Harry's fall before he landed, so the damage wasn't that bad. To top it off, his broom was demolished by the Whomping Willow when it blew away in the storm."_ He whined as he remembered watching the vicious tree tear the offending broom apart, pieces exploding all over the lawn underneath. The big, black dog looked absolutely miserable. Crookshanks came up and rubbed his cheeks against the dog's head, commiserating with him. _"I wish I could do something for him. I feel like a horrible Godfather…"_

Crookshanks nipped his friend's ear playfully._ "You are not a horrible Godfather; you just can't help the situation you are in, right now. Remember when Harry was a baby? You were a great Godfather then, getting him presents, taking him for rides when he was able to hold on, playing with him on the floor. … I'll never forget his first birthday when you bought him that ridiculous toy broom! He had James following him trying to stop him, chased me - and nearly had me skewered on the end of it, and broke a vase."_ He chuckled to himself at the remembered chaos, and Lily nearly rolling on the floor, laughing.

"_Lily sent me a letter…" _Sirius reminisced_. "I wish I could've been there, it sounded like fun. Merlin, the number of Christmases and Birthday's I've missed… that's it!"_ he declared, standing up suddenly, dislodging his friend.

"_What's it?"_ Crooks asked, shaking his fur back into place and narrowing his eyes at the shaggy canine.

_"I can make it up to Harry – I can get him a new broom for Christmas!"_

_"How in Merlin's name are you going to do that, Sirius?"_ enquired the Kneazle. _"You can't go into town and buy a broom; the minute you change the Dementors will be on you!" _

_ "That's where you come in."_ The canine gave him a friendly push with his nose, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a huge doggy grin.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for their continued support and reviews. Thank you so much, you feed the muse. The winner of the 100th review story challenge is** B00kw0rm92 **who has already sent me her prompt. When this is written, I'll post the link here. A special honorary mention is for Karlii who tried her darndest to be the 100th reviewer and missed by 1. ;-( So, for her diligence, she will also be getting a gift. The link for that will be posted here whenever it gets finished. Now, back to the Snape boys. A series of little vignettes, this time.**

Crookshanks found himself agreeing to help his friend buy a broom for Harry. It took him a week, but he managed to nick a Quidditch magazine that had broom ads in the back, and the following week he managed a piece of parchment and a quill, while the next evening a bottle of ink some student had tossed into the bin that was still a quarter full. He watched as Sirius transformed into his human self and perused the magazine, flipping pages for nearly half an hour, studying statistics and comparisons.

"Well, according to this, the Firebolt is the best new broom on the market. It's the fastest – and a seeker needs a fast broom – and it has the best ratings overall. Only the best for my godson! That's what I'll get him." He uncorked the bottle of ink and spread the piece of parchment out on the back of the magazine. Sirius began talking again as he wrote out his order. "I'm going to write this as if it is Harry ordering it, but the money is coming from my Gringott's vault. I'm telling them to deliver it to Harry in time for Christmas." He finished the letter with a flourish, folding it up tightly and writing the name of Quality Quidditch Supplies on the front. He held out the letter to the cat. "I need you to take this to the Post Office in Hogsmeade, Pye."

The cat sighed; he knew his part in this wasn't over. He could argue with Paddy, but when Paddy was in his human form, he couldn't understand animal speech. He snatched the letter out of Sirius' hand, and with a haughty swish of his tail, took off through the woods aiming for the main road to town. He heard a faint bark of thanks behind him. He just shook his head and kept on winding though the trees.

* * *

Severus had finally managed to take the boys to Hogsmeade near the end of November, just in time for them to do their Christmas shopping. They had enjoyed seeing the sites around the little wizarding village, and were happy when Severus had allowed them to spend some money in Honeydukes as he picked up some sweets that he himself indulged in every so often. Harry's eyes had especially gone quite round at the varieties offered and had seem hard-pressed as to what to sample. He had finally settled on a pack of Sugar-Quills, a box of Chocolate Frogs, and a large sampler bag that the proprietor had recommended. Draco had made his choices easily, having experienced the shop before with his parents when he was younger.

After the sweets, the boys headed to Zonko's with the strict rules that whatever they got there was never to be used in class. They had nodded dutifully and torn off down the street. Severus watched them for a moment, making sure they entered the correct store before ducking into Quality Quidditch Supplies to procure their current holiday catalogue. He shrunk and stored it an inside pocket before continuing on to the joke shop to pick up his two sons. They came out with many packages that they refused to show their father, claiming they were Christmas presents, so he led them for an afternoon lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

A ploughman's lunch, topped off with Butterbeer – another first for Harry – completed the day and they headed back to Hogwarts, happy, sated and – at least on the boys parts – enjoying a heavy snowfall. A stray black dog had followed them and Harry was sure he was the same dog he had seen in the forest and at the match.

Severus had given his son one of his patented disappointed looks. "And why did you never mention seeing this animal?"

Harry shrugged. "Just forgot about it, I've only seen him twice before. It may not even be the same dog," he qualified, rubbing the animal between its ears causing the dog to close its eyes in contentment. The dog had originally bowled Harry over into a snow drift, licking his face and growling lightly at Severus and Draco when they had approached, but Harry had waved them off saying he recognised the canine. Harry was sure it was the same animal, though. It was the same size and had that same sense of fun in its eyes he had noted at the Quidditch match.

He seemed friendly enough and he ran with the boys, barking and wagging his tail. He caught sticks the boys threw and joined them as they ran up and down the path back, throwing snowballs at each other and wrestling in the snow banks. Severus, after checking that the mutt didn't have any fleas, kept up a steady pace, expecting his sons to keep up with him and, after setting up a light shield around his body, managed never to get pelted by a stray snowball. He even threw a few sticks for the dog when it dropped them at his feet. He drew the line, however, at letting the dog past the gates. It seemed content enough, though, barking good-naturedly at the boys and took off back along the path to Hogsmeade.

They reached the Great Doors at dusk and the little family headed to the dungeons where steamy showers awaited all three, and afterwards a dinner of beef stew, hard rolls and mulled cider rounded out the corners.

* * *

Draco watched from the Ravenclaw table Monday morning as a large owl flew down to his father at the teachers table. He had learned early on that whatever news his father got in the morning dictated the man's mood for the rest of the day. Not that he would ever take out bad moods on his sons, but it gave them an edge as to whether they could push the envelope with him or not. From the corner of his eye he could see his brother watching as well, taking quick peeks towards the long table. Harry had caught on just as fast to this mood indicator.

Severus detached the envelope from the owl's leg and slit it open, removing the folded creamy parchment to read it. The brothers noted that his face seemed to close down, not giving a hint as to what his reaction to the news was. This was not good – Severus only closed down when he got bad news. Harry shrugged in Draco's direction and Draco shook his head at his brother. No pushing the envelope today – in fact he had better hightail it to the dungeons to be first in line for class. He warned Terry and Anthony of his father's change in mood as he led the third-year Ravenclaws to the dungeons.

* * *

Remus was walking down to dinner from his office when he heard an old familiar sound scraping from a nearby corridor. He placed his shoulder up against the wall and peeked around the corner towards a dark niche. He wasn't surprised to see the Hump-backed witch sliding forward. The question was who was coming up out of it? Quietly, he drew his wand, a spell hovering on his lips in case his old mate was attempting to penetrate the castle again. He watched as shadows detached themselves from the back of the statue and strode forward, one of them stowing a piece of parchment in the pocket of his jacket.

Heaving a sigh of relief, an _Accio_ from Lupin liberated the parchment, and he snatched it out of the air as he revealed himself to the pair of ginger-haired twins.

"Fred, I told you I thought I saw his name approaching!" George whispered fiercely to his twin.

"George, I'll never doubt you again," his twin whispered back.

"So, boys, what do we have here?" Lupin enquired. "I happen to know where that tunnel leads and I see you've availed yourself of its pleasures." The twins, startled, quickly hid their parcels behind their backs, attempting to look innocent.

"Gentlemen, this is not a Hogsmeade weekend, you are out of bounds. Sirius Black is loose in the area; you could have gotten into huge trouble." He brandished the parchment in their faces. "I may let you off easy, however, if you can tell me where you obtained this _map!"_

"Map? What map?"

"That's just a spare piece of parchment..."

"Save me your innocence, boys – I know exactly what this is." He tapped his wand on the parchment, letting loose with a piece of magic.

Recognising his wand signature, the map began to unfold in his hand, revealing all its secrets. Corridors inked themselves in and little flags with names inside them paced along those little representations of the castle innards. Fred stepped forward, incensed.

"Hey, we had to discover the password – how did you manage without a password?" Lupin ignored him as he searched the map for Sirius' name – but it did not show anywhere around the castle. He sighed as he blanked the map, letting it fold back up. He finally looked up at the boys.

"I'll tell you how I was able to open it, if you tell me where you found it," he bargained.

George elbowed his brother before he turned to answer the professor. "We found it in Filch's office first year. It was blank, but it was in a drawer marked "Dangerous". It took us a bit to discover how it worked."

Lupin smiled to himself. "How long?" he drawled.

George and Fred looked at each other as they thought back to their first year.

"Four months..."

"...six days..."

"...and – two hours," George finished.

"Thank you, now did it state who had made it?"

"Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," the twins pronounced proudly.

He was going to enjoy this reaction; the twins nearly put some of the marauder pranks to shame. "Well, gentlemen, you are looking at Moony."

"Wicked!" they both breathed out in awe.

"And I'm confiscating this parchment. There is a reason it was in the dangerous file." Fred and George waved him off.

"We rarely use it anymore, Professor."

"Yeah, in fact we were thinking of giving it to the Snape..." But Fred coughed when George stepped sharply on his instep.

Remus glowered on them both. "Do _not_ tell me you were going to gift this to Harry and Draco?"

"Alright, Professor, we won't," George said cheekily.

Lupin mumbled under his breath before sending the two miscreants back up to their tower after warning them not to use the tunnels again - at least until Black was caught. He hoped they would listen.

What to do with the parchment? He pocketed the map and headed back to his quarters, his appetite lost.

* * *

The weather was getting much colder and despite Crookshanks long, thick fur, he did not like going outside. He would spend as much time as he could in front of the common room fire, or curled up on Hermione's duvet. He did go out and see Sirius one cold and clear evening, ambling through the dusting of snow that covered the grounds with a roasted chicken leg between his teeth. The dog whined his thanks and demolished the leg quickly, licking his chops afterwards.

"_I just wanted to make sure you had a place to stay during the winter, Paddy," _explained the Kneazle.

"_I'm fine, Pye, come on – I'll show you!" _The great dog took off through the forest back towards the castle with Crookshanks running beside him. When they reached the edge, they slowed down as they walked across the lawn together towards the large Whomping Willow. Sirius sat on his hunches, well out of the waving branches reach.

"_Paddy, what…"_ Crookshanks started to ask, but Paddy shushed him.

"_Just stay here and watch!"_ Crookshanks was mystified as Paddy weaved quickly through the swaying withies and watched in amazement as the dog pushed at an old knot on the trunk. The tree immediately stopped moving and Paddy barked for Crookshanks to join him. He hurried over and looked incredulously at the opening now revealed under the knot.

_"Paddy, what's this? Who knows this is here?" _

_"This, my feline friend, is the entrance to the Shrieking Shack. Only seven people ever knew of its existence, that I'm aware of, and one is already dead. The rest," he shrugged, "probably don't even remember it, or would never think I would use it in a million years. Look,"_ he pointed his nose at the knot. _"You just press on this and the opening to the tunnel can be seen. Dumbledore set this up for Remus when he was a student here so he had someplace to go when he transformed each month. Come on, I'll show you the house."_ He led the cat down into the tunnel and they trotted along for several minutes until they came to the trap door that led to the parlour. Transforming for a few seconds, he lifted the door and then, transforming back to his Animagus form, he led his friend on a tour of the rickety structure. They ended up in the upstairs bedroom that was full of dusty furnishings, but had a comfortable bed in one corner – even though it looked a bit chewed upon, and the coverings were moth eaten, showing more holes than cloth. Stacks of recent Daily Prophet's littered a small table nearby.

"_See, I've been staying here for a while now. I can get into town from here and roam the back alleys finding food and old newspapers. Some of the restaurants know me and put out a pan for me. I'm doing all right,"_ he assured the cat.

"_I feel better then, Sirius," _the cat said sincerely.

"_I even followed Harry back from town last weekend. What was he doing with Snape and a Malfoy though? Why hasn't he gone to Hogsmeade with the rest of the children?"_

"_They all think you are out to get him, Paddy, so the teachers are keeping him inside. He went last weekend with his family."_

"_Family? Snivellus is not his family... the slimy grease-ball. I bet Snivvely was just assigned to take the boys out... but I never thought Harry would befriend a Malfoy – and that child was the spitting image of Lucius Malfoy." _He thought a minute more._ "And Harry used to look like James when he was a baby, but he looks nothing like him now... although he still has Lily's eyes."_

"_Well, I know that the blond boy calls the teacher 'Father', perhaps adopted?"_

"_Maybe... but I still can't see them being friends despite playing with me on the way home."_

Pye sat and began to wash his face and ears. _"Does it matter? Harry is happy, Paddy. Isn't that what counts?"_

The dog sighed. _"I guess it does. I just don't like Snape around my godson..." _He padded around the room in frustration then seemed to give up for the time being. He didn't dare enter the castle again, so he was stuck on the outside, looking in.

"_What's the news on Peter?"_ Paddy finally asked.

_"The same; still holed up in the dormitory. I've tried to get in, but it's impossible. The other boys are on to me, and keep me out. I'm just biding my time."_

The dog huffed in frustration, and Crooks grinned in amusement. _"Don't worry, we'll get him eventually."_

"_I know." _They sat together in companionable silence until it was time for Crookshanks to get back to the castle. Paddy led him back down the tunnel and showed him the button on the inside of the trunk to stop the tree so he could get out.

"Be safe, Paddy. I'll see you after the holidays, unless I can catch the rat before then."

"_You too, Pyewackit. Let me know how Harry likes the broom!"_

"_I will," _he promised.

Crookshanks took off through the night and headed for his Rowan tree that led him back into the castle.

* * *

Snape snapped his _Prophet_ shut in irritation as the knock came at the door. He rose and approached the door, sneer firmly in place. He did not need any numb-skulled children disturbing him this evening – he had too many plans to make.

He deepened the sneer when he opened the door to reveal Remus Lupin. He turned away, heading back to his chair by the fire, leaving it up to Remus' interpretation as to whether he was welcome inside or not.

Apparently Remus felt that Severus not slamming the door in his face constituted an invitation, since he chose to walk into the parlour, shutting the door quietly behind him. He sat gingerly on the sofa, fiddling with a piece of paper in his hand before sticking it out towards Snape.

"What is this, Lupin?" he snarled, taking the worn scrap and setting his wine glass down on the side table.

"Remember you asked me last month if I knew how Sirius got into the castle? Well that piece of parchment will tell you when and where in the castle he is at."

Severus raised his eyebrows at this, all animosity being replaced by massive curiosity. Taking a closer look at the pleated parchment, he let his question hang in the air. "The Marauders map?"

Remus' eyebrows quirked in surprise. "Ah, I see you know of it. Yes, well Filch confiscated it back in our sixth year – thank Merlin we had blanked it before he grabbed it. Apparently the Weasley twins lifted it from his office during their first year and, as they've memorised the entire thing, they were going to pass it on to your boys this Christmas."

Severus' eyebrows hit their highest point in startlement. "Lily knew about it, so she told me," he explained. He shook his wand down to his hand and was about to cast a _Revelio_ charm on it when Remus cleared his throat.

"Erm, I wouldn't do that if I were you – we charmed it to be insulting to whomever tried that," he said sheepishly. "The correct charm to use is: 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'."

Severus stared at him for a moment. "You're joking," he deadpanned. Lupin just shrugged his shoulders.

"We were fourteen when we finished it. If it helps any, you can do it non-verbally..." he offered. Severus gave him a sour look then pointed his wand at the paper again – silently wording the charm in his head. There was absolutely no way he was going to state that sentence out loud.

He watched as the paper unfolded and the ink came to the surface to form corridors and rooms. He watched as Albus paced in his office, Filch and Mrs Norris patrolled along the seventh floor and sets of prefects roamed the castle, making sure no students were out past curfew. Minerva was sitting in her favourite chair near the fireplace, much as he was, and Poppy was making the rounds of the infirmary where several students were spending the night after they had blown up their cauldrons in class that afternoon.

He snorted to himself; first-year Ravenclaws thinking they knew more than they actually did. Well, they had learned a lesson today! He searched the parchment for his sons. Draco was amongst a group of his year-mates in the Common Room, he hoped that they were studying, and Harry appeared to be sound asleep in his dorm although his tag was thrashing back and forth across the bed. Nightmare, he deduced. Severus sighed as he folded the map back up.

"And the erasing charm? I'm sure it is just as asinine as the first charm."

"Mischief managed," Lupin said.

Severus said this one out loud - it was marginally better than the previous charm - and he offered the map back to his colleague. Lupin waved his hand, refusing to take it back.

"No, you keep it. It took me nearly all week to give it to you, Severus. I could not figure out if I should tell Dumbledore or not – for various purely selfish reasons. I decided that you could probably put it to better use. If it helps any, I've studied it for most of the week and I haven't seen Sirius on it anywhere. If he is near the castle, it's probably somewhere in the forest which does not show on the map – not even Hagrid's hut shows; we didn't consider it important enough at the time. We were more concerned with getting caught on our way out of the castle, if you get my drift."

Snape nodded reflectively as he withdrew his hand, still holding the ingenious magical artefact. It truly was a feat of brilliant work on the part of his four childhood tormentors; he _was_ mature enough to admit it – barely.

"In any case," Lupin continued, "if it belongs to anyone, it belongs to Harry. I know he doesn't have much from Lily and James... well, you keep it. I'd prefer it. Besides, this way you trust me," he pointed out logically. He rose quietly from the sofa edge and headed back to the door. "Good night, Severus, I'll see myself out."

Severus stirred himself from his contemplation. "Good night, Lupin."

* * *

The next morning, Severus was quite tired. After Lupin had left, he had gone up to Gryffindor tower to check on Harry. That nightmare was not a good sign; and Harry had not told him he was experiencing the night terrors again. When he had reached the dorm – after frightening several Gryffindor students in the common room when he had glided silently into their midst – he had found that Harry had erected silencing wards around his bed in an attempt to fool his roommates. Silicia was twined around one of the posts at the head of the bed and was softly hissing down at her master.

Severus had taken down the wards and gently woke his thrashing son. Harry had looked at him in confusion then had broken down weeping in the man's lap. Severus had laid a comforting hand on Harry's head and let the boy cry out his terror. He managed to extract the information that it was a dream of Dursley. Having thought to bring along a number of potions, he gave several to Harry to help calm his nerves and suppress any further dreams for the rest of the night.

"Are you going to be alright here, or do you need to come downstairs tonight?" he offered.

"No, Dad, I'm alright. I'll stay here," he assured his father.

"No more charms, Harry. And we'll have a talk over the break about your continued nightmares. Perhaps it is time to expand your tutelage in Occlumency. We have only worked on mind barriers; I think that it is time to actually work on the defence portion of the discipline – keeping your mind safe from attack, both from inside as well as outside forces."

"You can block dreams further than just using the shields?" Harry asked as he relaxed further under the covers.

"Yes. Now go to sleep." He stayed until he was sure that Harry had gone back to sleep, then set a monitoring charm on the bed to notify him if Harry had any further nightmares. It was a charm he had read about in a parenting periodical – normally used for parents monitoring toddlers – but Severus was nothing if not resourceful. He would use any means necessary to safeguard his sons. Even from themselves if need be.

His night was not finished, however. He had returned to the dungeons to deal with the business Lupin had interrupted, and then had spent the rest of the waning hours studying the damned map. It was truly a marvellous piece of magic, and he had found several areas of the castle that he had suspected existed, but had no idea as to how get to them. Imagine his surprise when the map gave him the specifics of _how_ to access those secret areas. Dawn had crept up on him, unawares, until he was surprised to hear the first waking bell ring through the castle.

Now he was up in the Owlry, having posted several letters with the owls, one of which was an owl order to Quality Quidditch Supplies. He had studied the section on the brooms in minute detail. After weighing all the options, he had settled upon a broom that seemed to offer the most to an up and coming Seeker talent. It was a little more than what Harry's previous broom had cost, but Harry was worth it. Both his boys were worth it, but Draco had already told Severus that he figured Harry's main present that year was to be a broom and that Severus should not feel pressured to get one for Draco as well. He had a perfectly fine broom in his Nimbus 2001, it seemed to fit him quite well and he wasn't on the Ravenclaw team this year, in any case.

Severus was proud of Draco. A year ago, the boy would have been clamouring that he and Harry needed equal presents; now this year he was showing actual compassion for his brother's misfortune and acknowledging that it was his father's duty to make things right again.

A year ago, Harry would have insisted on ordering the broom himself – still feeling as if he needed to be in charge of everything. Yet, this year, he had accepted Severus' assurance that a new broom would appear under the tree at the manor and hadn't offered to reimburse his father for the cost. What a difference a year made; Harry was more trusting in his role of son and Draco was showing a more humane side to his personality. Severus was pleased.

* * *

Draco watched the set of Ravenclaw second-year girls giggling in their corner of the common room. What was it about girls that when they were in packs, they giggled? Why weren't they up in their dorm packing? Tomorrow was the start of the holidays and he had been packed since... well, since fifteen minutes after he had returned from his last class. He glanced at the girls again and noticed that they were watching their room mate, Luna, wander around the room picking things up and checking underneath odd bits of furniture.

He had noticed – well it was quite hard not to, actually – that the odd girl was teased an awful lot. She would always end up the butt of jokes, trick jinxes and practical jokes. Apparently the running gag this year was hiding her belongings. Every week found something of hers missing and it appeared that tonight was no exception. Draco, however, had had enough.

He sighed, closing his charms book, and gathered up his courage – and his indignation on the part of his friend – to approach the gaggle of girls. They all twittered like birds again when he stood before them, arms crossed and a look of disdain on his face. He hadn't lived with his sire for all those years without picking up the pure-blood haughtiness. He just tended not to use it anymore, except in times like these where it came in handy.

"Give it all back," he declared. The girls shut up immediately with little gasps of surprise. Astoria Greengrass stared right back at him, a challenging look in her eyes. She was prettier than his year mate, Daphne, but her personality was the same as her older sister's: annoying, like nails on a chalkboard.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Snape," she sniffed disdainfully.

"This teasing has gone on long enough, Greengrass. Give Luna her possessions back." His voice had gained in strength, and the hubbub in the room reduced in volume as they tuned into the impending argument. Luna even noticed the change in atmosphere and wandered back toward her defender.

"_I_ haven't done anything with Lovegood's things, Snape," the younger girl retorted.

"I'm sure you – personally – have not. However, you all know who has and where it is; I want it returned now."

Luna looked up her friend, patting him on the arm to get his attention and calm him down. She didn't like arguments. "It's alright Draco – it's all in good fun," she said softly.

Draco looked down at her, astonished. "It is not 'alright', Luna. It is a cruel joke they are playing on you and it is going to stop – or they will regret ever messing with you." He turned back to the group in front of him who were looking a bit sheepish at this point.

Draco had made several friends in the Ravenclaw tower; many among his year mates, and several – besides Luna – outside of them. Draco was gratified when Terry and Anthony as well as many others, approached the little tableau, standing behind the newest of them, supporting him and fixing the second-year girls with condemning gazes.

Blushing a bright fuchsia, Greengrass blustered for a moment then sighed in defeat. "Oh, very well." She waved her wand and said a short incantation under her breath. "There, it is all back on her bed. Happy now?" she pouted.

"Immensely. Luna, you can finish your packing now," he said to the slight second-year. She beamed up at him and without a word, skipped out of sight down the stairs that led to the girl's dorms. He turned back to the merry band of gigglers, steel in his eye. "I do not want a repeat of this ever again – in any permutation," he said, hedging his bets. Ravenclaws could argue around any point of law and turn it to their advantage. "In fact, just leave her alone if you can't be friends with her," he strongly suggested.

"Fine, it was beginning to get boring in any case." Astoria studied her nails in a good imitation of someone bored to tears. Draco studied her for a moment, then nodded and headed back to his table, the rest of the group dispersing as well.

Two hours later, Draco was the last one in the common room, and he dutifully went around _nox_-ing the lights and banking the fire. He was startled therefore, when he turned around to find Luna right behind him, dressed in her pyjamas, night dress and pink fuzzy slippers. Her long white-blond hair drifted around her like a cloud, and her skin appeared ethereal... He shook himself; what was he going and thinking about a girl like that?

"Luna! You startled me!"

She nodded and looked up at him. "I just wanted to thank you, Draco Snape. All of my belongings are back in my trunk."

"Do I need to teach you a good locking charm?" he offered quietly. The atmosphere in the room was so soft; he didn't want to disturb it.

"Perhaps; when we come back for the new term. They should be safe for now." She studied him for a moment, searching his face. Coming to some sort of conclusion, she smiled a little bit, then turned and headed back to her staircase. Before descending she looked back at him. "Happy Christmas, Draco."

"Happy Christmas, Luna," he returned, raising a hand in farewell.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N sorry about how long this has taken to appear. This chapter originally decided to go off the beaten path and I had to wrestle it back into shape, nearly had to rewrite the entire thing as well as the next chappie which is still under revision. Thanks so much for your patience. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9  
**

"Harry! C'mon!" Hermione called up to the boy's dorm, dragging her trunk down the stairs, Crookshank's basket on her arm.

"I'm coming, 'Mione. Really, I am!" he assured her as he put out a hand to Silicia to let her wend her way up his arm and eventually drape herself around his neck where she could keep an eye on everything that happened to her young wizard. Stuffing his arms into his coat, making sure his gloves and muffler were stuffed in the pockets, Harry grabbed his trunk and began banging it down the steps to join his friend.

This season, Ron and Hermione were joining the Snapes at the Manor. Severus had told Draco he was more than welcome to invite a few of his friends as well, they certainly had the space to house quite a number of guests, but Draco had turned down the offer. He was learning to – tolerate – the other two Gryffindors and he preferred a peaceful, quiet Manor to the hustle of the Castle. If he'd had his druthers, he would like it to just be the three Snape men, but he wasn't going to begrudge his brother the companionship of his two closest friends – next to Draco. Harry was fine with his brother's choices and he was looking forward to spending the holidays with his family _and_ his friends.

He joined Hermione and Ron at the door to the tower and they all made their way down the stairs, joining the throng of students heading towards the entrance hall. They waved their goodbyes to other friends with wishes for good holidays as they gravitated to an area near the dungeons entrance where they were to meet Draco and the professor. The three Gryffindors waited while the rest of the student body headed out the large doors to the carriages that would take them to the Hogsmeade train station.

Draco worked his way through the crush of Ravenclaws, saying farewells as he went, and joined his two trunks to those of the lions.

Harry looked over the additions, a smirk starting to light up his face. "Well, I see you've learned to cut back, brother dear. Travelling much lighter this year?"

Draco mock-punched his brother in the arm, but laughed with him. "As a matter of fact, I am. I feel safer leaving my stuff here than I did in my old house."

Harry sobered up quickly, murmuring "Sorry," to his sibling who waved it off with good grace. Draco was quite proud of the fact that he was getting along better with all of his new housemates. After the confrontation with Luna's tormentors, he had gained a grudging respect from his year mates and older years, and the younger ones stayed away from him – except for Luna. She had taken to him like a beloved older brother – at least he interpreted it that way. He didn't mind, she was a good kid if a bit ditzy and had turned out to be a good friend. She had already given him a gift for the holidays, a purported charm necklace that included Butterbeer corks, radishes, and several other bits of twigs, feathers and things that she had insisted he wear. He had tucked it under his robes before leaving the tower. He wasn't entirely sure what these _wrackspurts_ were that it was supposed to keep away from him, but he wasn't going to turn the gift down and risk hurting the ethereal girl's feelings.

The four milled around in their corner until Severus appeared, carrying his own valise, from the dungeons. In his other hand he held a large, bright pink and lime striped plastic hoop that made a swishing sound as it moved by his side; the legend 'Wham-O' printed in large black letters graced its side. He was followed by the Snape chief elf, Runeskin who quickly used his magic to group the luggage together, including all the animal cages and, with a nod of his head, he laid his hand on the pile. A split second later there was a large snapping sound and the house-elf and luggage had vanished.

Hermione looked at the hoop her professor was carrying and, trying to stifle a giggle, managed to ask, in as dignified manner as possible, why the man was carrying a Hula-Hoop.

He sneered down at the lioness.

"May I?" she asked, holding out a hand. Since he saw no reason not to hand the object over, he did so. After she shucked her coat, gloves and muffler, he was surprised to see her place herself inside the hoop and position the backside of it against her waist. Harry had covered his mouth with one hand to stifle a giggle as he watched the others stare at the slight girl.

"I had one of these when I was younger," she explained. "It is a great way to exercise your abdominal muscles, and it is loads of fun. Watch." With a quick flick of her wrists she started the hoop moving while swirling her hips in place, a gentle swooshing sound accompanying it as the beads encased within moved around with the centripetal force. As the hoop gained momentum, the boys and Severus watched as she made minute adjustments to her stance so that it moved up and down her slim body. The four males looked on in amazement, Ron and Draco slackjawed, as the girl manipulated it down to her ankles, playing skip rope with it, moving it back up to her waist, around her neck, around her upraised arms then out onto one arm where she eventually stopped it when it reached her wrist.

Silently she handed back the hoop to Snape and looked over at the three boys. "What? It's just a toy..." she said, smiling, as she took her outer gear back from Harry and shrugged it back on.

Ron just shook his head, and Harry had to lift his friends jaw up to close the gaping hole in Ron's face. Draco was blushing.

"Merlin's beard, Hermione," Ron finally blurted. "That was incredible! I never knew you could move..." His speech was cut off by a hand muzzling him. Harry smiled at Hermione from behind Ron, still keeping his hand over his friend's mouth. He had known what it was when he'd seen it, having watched the girls at his primary school play with them in the play yard.

"Wizards; always so stunned by Muggle contraptions," he shared a giggle with her before Ron finally elbowed him to get him to let go. "So, Dad, what is with the Hula-hoop? I'm assuming you didn't bring it with you because you fancy a go at it? Although I'm sure if you want to learn, Hermione would be happy to..." He stopped himself when he saw the glares that his father and Hermione cast in his direction, although his smile didn't falter.

"The Headmaster has provided us with a Port key that I have attuned to the manor. Now, if you will all grab onto the hoop," he instructed, holding out the plastic ring. The four students gathered around and placed a hand on the toy, holding it tight.

A spoken word from Severus and the children all gasped as a hook yanked at their mid-sections and tugged them through space, Hermione screaming for all her might in sudden fright.

"Miss Granger, you may stop that caterwauling this instant!" Snape censured as the group spun through the ether. Hermione quickly pulled herself together and clung to the hoop for dear life, knuckles white with her grip.

"Now, when I count to three, you will all let go." Ignoring the look of panic and small whimper he received from Granger, he waited until he could feel the pull change direction to a downward motion. "On my mark: One, two... three! Let go!" All the children obeyed, Hermione screaming again, as they were flung away from the twirling object and they soon landed haphazardly in the parkland of Prince Manor, a tangle of limbs and sore torsos amongst the frost bitten grasses.

The four children moaned and groaned as they untangled themselves and sat up, rubbing sore spots as they watched Severus Snape float gracefully down out of the sky, hoop still in hand. He reached the ground and stood there, arms crossed, as the students hastily brushed themselves off and regained their own footing. When he was satisfied they were sorted, he turned and began the walk across the winter brown lawn toward the gravel and brick courtyard and the magnificent manor that commanded the attention of anyone in the vicinity.

The children filed behind him and he held the door open as they walked into the grand entryway, softly closing it behind him. He handed the hoop, now nothing more than the toy it had been originally, to the reddening witch, who accepted it gracefully.

"Draco, Harry, take your guests up to their rooms, if you would, please, so they can see where they are. I will expect all of you in the Solarium for tea in three quarters of an hour." He watched as the children rushed up the stairs. Then, satisfied they were going where he had commanded, headed to his home office.

* * *

The children climbed the carpet lined marble stairs, eventually gaining the third floor and turned right down a long corridor that had dour portraits of former Prince scions gracing its walls. Several of the portraits murmured in dire tones that the boys were back again and trouble would soon follow, but the children ignored them. Eventually they came to the T crossing and turned left to enter the main sleeping wing. The first door on the right was Hermione's room and she entered with a small cry of delight as she noticed the decidedly feminine tone of the room. The wallpaper was delicate yellow tea roses which were echoed in the fabric of the duvet on the bed, and included in an antique silk striped couch in front of the fireplace. Her trunk was already placed in her closet and its contents put away. Crookshanks was already asleep on the window seat, enjoying a spot of winter sunshine that warmed his pelt deliciously.

The boys left her to freshening up and Draco headed to his own room next to Hermione's while Harry showed Ron his suite across from Hermione's, which matched hers in layout but was decorated in greys and blues, before heading to his own suite across from Draco's.

Hedwig had already arrived, he was pleased to note, and she was currently sleeping on her perch in front of his French doors. Silicia was asleep as well, so he uncurled her from his neck and placed her in a charmed terrarium that had a heated rock. She curled up tighter, letting out a sibilant sigh as the heat relaxed her. Harry chuckled lightly, stroking her head for a moment before heading to his own loo and handling his own ablutions before rejoining his friends in the corridor. Ron was standing there with a protective hand over his pocket, glaring again at Hermione.

"Just keep it in your room, Hermione; I won't have it bothering Scabbers."

"Why don't you just keep your rat in your own room, Ron, and close the door. Cats can't be expected to stay in one place, but rats can!" she emphasised with a stamp of her foot.

"Fine, I will!" he said before stomping back into his own room to deposit Scabbers in a wire cage, locking the gate securely. He stomped back out, a frown still on his face, closing the door a little more firmly than he probably should have. By then, Draco had joined the group and only raised his eyebrows at his brother in question.

Harry mouthed _'Scabbers'_ to his brother, who nodded imperceptibly in understanding before taking the lead down the stairs to the first level and back along some more corridors until they came to the Solarium.

They wandered the maze of plants to the central gazebo, which had been magically expanded to handle the extra place settings. The professor was already there, presiding over the teapot as Runeskin handled plates of sandwiches and biscuits and then levitated a bowl of fruit salad to the centre.

The students quickly scrambled to their seats, Ron seating himself as far from Hermione as possible. Severus took in the animosity between the two but said nothing as he poured out then passed around the plate of cream and sugar things, letting the teens fix the tea to their own likings.

After everyone served themselves, Severus began the conversation by asking what their plans were for that afternoon. All the children piped up at once and he had to raise a hand to forestall the noisome clatter.

"Miss Granger?" he asked her first.

She coloured a little before shyly asking if she could peruse his library.

"Of course; only those books you can reach without magic or climbing a chair, though; the rest are a little too advanced – even for you."

She agreed readily, giving an excited wriggle on her seat in anticipation. He directed his attention to the boys then, asking Harry their plans.

"Well, Dad, we wanted to go flying if I could borrow your broom? Or did you want to go search for the tree this afternoon? Is mum's tree too tall now?"

"No, I don't think it is too tall, but we should probably let it go for another year before we bring it in again. I was thinking tomorrow should be the ideal day to go tree hunting, the weather should be fine. And yes, if you wish, you may borrow my broom to go flying." He smiled indulgently at the three boys as their faces split wide with grins, high-fiving each other in enthusiasm. "Just dress warmly, please." He admonished, dishing himself up a large scoop of the fresh fruit.

He lingered over his own tea after the teens had departed hastily. A discreet pop let him know Runeskin had appeared to clear the dishes. Without actually looking at the elf, Severus asked him, "Are the other set of rooms ready, Runeskin?"

"Yes, Master Severus. All is as you requested. The quarters on the second floor of the west wing are all prepared and warded. Is it to be tonight then?"

"I think so. It may not be needed – but I'm afraid it will be. Make sure the rooms are warm, and the fire going after six o'clock. It could happen anytime between then and morning."

"As you wish. Lari will be the elf assigned to the rooms. She has experience in... these matters."

"Good," Severus said, rising to his feet after finishing his cup of tea and dusting off his lips with his serviette. "I shall be in my lab preparing various potions I feel may be needed."

"Very good, Master Severus. Dinner shall be at seven."

* * *

Harry was exhausted, having spent the entire afternoon flying with Draco and Ron. They had shown Ron the forest, the small Quidditch pitch – playing a short game with enchanted snow balls as Quaffles and Bludgers – and raced around the manor itself seeing it from all the different angles. They had come in rosy cheeked and laughing, storing all the brooms away in a small closet in the mudroom next to the solarium, as well as their wet cloaks and shoes, and had taken off down the slick marble hallways in their stocking feet.

Sliding along the marble in their socks was one of Harry and Draco's favourite pastimes in the manor; making a competition of how far they could get a slide to go – which sock material was the best advantage (Harry favoured wool, Draco silk), and who could stay upright the longest. Ron joined in whole heartedly, never having such slick material to slide on before. Their laughter rang throughout the manor halls causing the portraits to either grin in remembered frivolity or grumble and snort in annoyance at having their nap disturbed.

Hermione had joined them for dinner in one of the smaller dining rooms, carrying a book with her from the library for reading later.

The evening had been spent in quiet games in the main parlour, while Hermione and Severus read by the soft lamplight. She was curled up in one corner of the sofa, both cats tucked in around her, devouring a history of Greek wizards and oracles.

At nine thirty, Severus had received a summons and had taken off, he said, to check in on a potions client he was treating. The teens had said goodnight and soon after had taken themselves to bed.

Harry yawned, his eyelids fluttering closed, allowing himself to check his mind barriers before succumbing to sleep. But despite his checking, disturbing images flickered across his brain; whispered voices, deep like his fathers and higher pitched as well. He got the impression of people carrying things, hurrying along dark tilted corridors. A high pitched cry was hushed, a low voice urging, and then he fell deeper into sleep and heard no more.

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep. She had gone to bed at the same time as the boys, whispering goodnights to each other before shutting their doors. She had been impressed to find her floo crackling merrily with a bright fire, her covers turned down and a brand new flannel nightgown, beribboned and lace edged, with a matching dressing gown and slippers, laid out on the bed. Usually, she was a practical girl and wore sleep pants and an undershirt or t-shirt to bed, but every now and then she had a romantic urge to wear old fashioned sleepwear and pretend she was a princess or one of the heroines of a Bronte or Austen novel. Someone had guessed and was indulging her fantasy. She gladly took the nightclothes into her bathroom and quickly changed, enjoying the feel of the kid-soft, fine Egyptian cotton flannel caressing her body. She gave a short twirl in front of the floo, watching the voluminous skirt and its lower deep ruffle flare out around her bare legs. She giggled in delight and, slipping on the slippers and dressing gown, grabbed her book to read. She settled in front of the fire, reading quickly and before too long, she had finished the book and it was still early.

She grabbed her wand off her nightstand and, tightening the cinch on her robe, slipped from her room and made her way towards the library, casting a _Lumos_ in front of her as she padded along.

She descended the stairs quietly and was just about to step onto the second floor landing when she saw Professor Snape leading another figure coming up from the first floor. There was nothing for it, she was caught. He murmured something to the black cloaked figure who shifted a package in their arms and walked over to the young witch who was fidgeting in her embarrassment.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing wandering the manor at night?" he enquired in a low voice, remarkably non-threatening.

However, she still gulped reflexively before answering. "I was heading to the library, sir. I finished my book and it was still early so I thought..."

"You thought you'd go get another one?" he prompted.

"Yes, sir." She nodded her head earnestly.

A small cry from the stranger's vicinity caused the professor to sharply swing his head around then back again as Hermione exclaimed, "Is that a baby?"

She squeaked as he grabbed her arm, swearing and admonishing her to keep quiet, dragging her with him towards the stranger.

"Come on, we need to get you into the suite quickly before she wakes up the boys," he urged the stranger.

A sob from the hood sounded before being stifled and the head nodded as the three of them headed to the left of the staircase and along the southern hallway until they hit another hallway and turned right bearing west. Hermione tried to get a look at the woman underneath the hood, but it effectively blocked her view, keeping the face in deep shadow. Professor Snape kept a firm on her elbow, leading her quickly along the corridors. They bypassed several doors on the north side of the hall until a door opened on the south side of the corridor spilling light and warmth into the hallway.

The bundled stranger cried at the sight of the welcome and stumbled into the room. Severus prodded Hermione before him and closed the door, setting silencing charms on it.

"We're safe now, Narcissa," he comforted, ignoring Granger's gasp of surprise. He went over to the woman and helped to remove her cloak to reveal a dishevelled Narcissa Malfoy, dressed in a floor length coat, cradling a swathed newborn to her chest. He led her over to a padded rocking chair and helped her to sit as she unwrapped the baby to check on it. Hermione stood there in shock, clutching her book to her chest in wonderment.

She watched as a female house-elf bustled around the room, getting tea things together, bringing over a bassinette for the baby as well as clean and warm clothes for the infant. Hermione shook herself mentally and padded over to the mother, reaching out after setting her book down on a side table.

"May I help? I can get her changed for you while you get into some warmer clothes?" Hermione offered. Narcissa stared at her for a moment before looking up at Severus. He gave a discreet nod of the head showing her that the girl's offer was sincere. She handed the newborn to the young witch and watched with an eagle eye as Hermione cradled the baby in her arms, taking care of the baby's soft fontanel while she laid the baby down on a blanket on the warm settee, changing the nappy expertly, folding the edge down under the umbilical cord nub, and redressing the child in a warm all-in-one then rewrapping the baby in a receiving blanket.

"You do that like you've been around small children before, Miss..."

"Granger," Hermione supplied. She picked up the baby, laying it against her shoulder while she supported its back, head and neck. Narcissa got up and began to remove a large black over-coat that revealed a red-stained nightgown underneath, and blood suddenly gushing to the floor. She paled and gave a small gasp causing Severus to swear as he caught her when she collapsed, _accio_-ing several potions from the store he had previously set in the room. He carried her into the bedroom, the potions bobbing along behind him as he laid her in the huge, curtained four-poster bed, banishing the soiled nightclothes and conjuring a new set, scanning his patient and administering blood clotting and blood replenishing potions. He murmured spells over her abdomen, tracing his wand in a complicated manner over the area, repeatedly scanning and spelling potions into the unconscious woman until he was satisfied she would survive the sudden haemorrhage.

Exhausted, he straightened up and murmured a freshening charm over the sleeping mother, cleaning her up after her ordeal of the evening. He caught sight of Hermione standing in the doorway, the baby still hugged to her chest. He motioned her ahead of him to the sofa where she sat down after placing the sleeping baby into the bassinette and covering her up with a light blanket. She scooted the bed closer to her seat to keep an eye on the newborn.

He took the seat at the other end of the sofa and reached for a cup of tea that the house-elf had just poured for him.

"Ask your questions, Miss Granger," he said wearily.

She thought for a moment before posing her first question. "Does Draco know?"

"That his mother was pregnant, hopefully with his replacement? Yes. That she is here now? No."

"You say 'hopefully'?"

He took a long draught of the tea before responding. "When I petitioned the Ministry to start proceedings on Lucius being an unfit father and thus requesting that I be allowed to adopt him, Lucius caught wind and decided to release Draco instead. If Draco wasn't going to be a good little son, following his sire's beliefs and Dark Arts practices, then he was no son of Lucius'. So, he disowned him. His whole belief was that he could get Narcissa pregnant again. Please note that Lucius could have just as easily put a death order out on his son – but he did not, although I am sure he considered the option." He placed his cup down and abruptly got up from the couch, pacing around the room.

"He was such a fool. I had told him years ago that Narcissa should never get pregnant again; she'd had enough problems attempting to get pregnant with Draco and then keeping the pregnancy. But he never listened. He went ahead and got her pregnant again. Somehow, against whatever miracle you want, she managed to keep this pregnancy viable.

"She began to worry, however, that if this child was a girl, Lucius would kill it outright, wait six weeks and try again. The next pregnancy would definitely kill her, if this one didn't. As you saw, it almost did. If this had happened at the manor, she would not have survived that haemorrhage. After we saw her in September, she contacted me about possibly having to rescue her from Malfoy Manor if the baby was a girl. She told Lucius that she wasn't due to deliver until New Years and sent him off on some hunting trip with some friends of his last night.

"The summons I received tonight told me that she had delivered a girl and needed to escape."

Hermione let the information tumble in her head for a few moments.

"How is she going to escape from Mr Malfoy? Surely he is going to come back from his trip and be livid when she is not there. He'll just track her down and kill her and the baby! "

"Narcissa has properties inherited from her mother's side of the family that are not attached to the dowry and thus Lucius. When she is stronger she will move to one of those and stay there permanently."

"Doesn't Mr Malfoy know where those properties are? Couldn't he just track her down?"

Severus shook his head. "They are protected by the Fidelius, and Narcissa will never reveal her secret keeper. They will be perfectly safe there – as they are here. She will be gone before Lucius returns home."

"Will Draco know his mother is here?"

"Soon, when she is feeling better. She is out of danger for now – but I want to make sure before I bring Draco in." He gave her a piercing look, one she knew well from class; the one that said _You will follow these directions or else..._ "I will decide when to let Draco know his mother and sister are here; you are not to let the information slip."

"I understand, Professor," she assured her stern Potions master.

"See that you do, Miss Granger." He watched as she drew a soft finger along the sleeping baby's arm before letting herself out the door.

He leaned back in the wing chair, summoning the bassinette closer, watching silently over the sleeping Malfoy women.

* * *

The following morning, Harry was telling everyone at the breakfast table his strange dream from the night before, totally missing the dropped knife from Hermione and the quick look she sent to Professor Snape who had coughed discreetly while shaking his head once at her.

"You alright, Dad?" Draco asked, a concerned frown on his face.

"I'm fine, Son, just a piece of toast went down the wrong pipe. Are you ready to go find a tree for the parlour?" he queried, successfully changing the subject. He wanted to get Draco out of the manse.

The boys were ecstatic and began discussing what type of tree they were going to look for. Severus looked over at Hermione and asked her as well.

"If you don't mind, sir, I'll beg off this expedition. I love looking at Yule trees, but I don't like going after them. I'll just stay here in..."

"...the library," all three boys finished for her.

She coloured a bit as she said defiantly, "Well, yes."

Severus knew where she would be, and it wasn't going to be in the library. He nodded at her in permission, and she happily bit into a piece of toast that she had smothered in butter and jam.

When the men of the household had buttoned on their cloaks and boots and tramped out of the mudroom to head toward the forested slope, Hermione gathered up her courage and headed up the stairs to the second floor, following her pathway from the previous evening. It had been a scary moment, being dragged down the corridors, but she had memorised the turnings and soon came to the door she wanted.

She quietly knocked, waiting until the door was opened by the house-elf, Lari, who bowed her inside.

"Child, come in, please," came a voice from the sitting room. Hermione followed the voice and entered to see Narcissa ensconced on a fainting couch, a warm lap-rug over her lower half, bassinette near her – but she was cradling the little girl in her arms. She summoned over an upholstered hassock, placing it next to her and indicating that Hermione should sit.

"Are you feeling better, Mrs Malfoy? I was scared last night when you started bleeding!"

"Severus is an accomplished healer, Miss Granger, I am much improved. Just tired now from the actual birth – but that will pass soon enough." She raised her cup of tea to her lips as she surveyed the young woman sitting next to her.

"I wanted to thank you for last night, Miss Granger. You were an immense help to Severus and myself by taking care of the little one during my crisis."

"It was no trouble, Mrs Malfoy. She's quite a sweet one, isn't she?" she said while looking down at the infant.

Narcissa chuckled, "So far, but she is only one day old. Let's give her some time to develop a personality." She looked over the teen sitting next to her, giving her a calculating stare. "I don't remember any Granger families in the registers – you are Muggle-born," she stated as fact.

Hermione gulped, but held herself from trembling. She knew the Malfoy's reputation of pure-blooded righteousness. Raising her chin a bit, and straightening her spine, she said, "Yes."

Narcissa smiled. "No need to get your back up; I've known many fine Muggle-borns in my life; Harry's mother, for one. We were good friends in school. You may ask why I married Lucius, then?" Hermione nodded, afraid to speak. "Well, it is quite simple, really, my father made a marriage contract with Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius' father. As it was a magical contract, I couldn't get out of it. Still can't."

Hermione was livid. "How – how could he do that!" she spluttered. She was clearly outraged at the atrociousness of such an arrangement still occurring in this day of age.

"Oh, my dear," Narcissa said, a world weary smile on her lips. "It is quite common among the pure-blood set. Normally the contracts are promissories only, the participants able to cancel before the wedding if they are truly not suited to each other. However, after my older sister, Andromeda, ran away with a Muggle-born, my father made my contract binding. He wasn't going to have another daughter disgrace the family."

"That's barbaric!" Hermione cried.

"Yes, it is. But it was the way I was brought up. Draco, by the way, was never promised in this manner. I refused to let him be shackled that way. Andromeda is obviously happy in her marriage and Bellatrix and I were not." She frowned a moment in recollection, but a burble from her daughter caused her worry to go away as she stared down at the little one.

"Severus has told you?" Narcissa continued without looking up.

"Yes, he told me. Are you sure you will be safe?" Hermione reached out a finger to the baby who instinctively grabbed it. Hermione smiled, she loved babies – as long as she could give them back.

"I have to think of what is best for her," Narcissa answered softly. "Lucius would kill her. He wants a _male_ heir to carry on the line and the name. It has been passed from father to son for centuries."

"He could kill you!"

"No, he can't. The marriage magic would kill him if he tried. No, he will take mistresses until one of them births a blond haired son with magic then he will acknowledge the child as his get and bring it to the manor to be raised."

"And you can just sit there and accept it?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted.

"It is our arrangement. I rarely see him in any case unless it is to make an appearance." She glanced down at the baby. "I will not have her raised in that environment. Severus offered to adopt her as one solution, but I can't leave her." She smiled at the infant. "No, since I can't leave the marriage legally, I'll leave it this way. Lucius can't get to us. I have my own properties and vaults that Lucius can't touch – it will be enough to live on comfortably until she is of age. I may go back to him then, I may not. At that point who will care?" she asked rhetorically.

Hermione shuddered, she had only a vague understanding of what Harry's brother had gone through – even Harry didn't know all of it, and then she sighed. "I understand. I don't agree, but I understand."

Narcissa smiled at the girl before they devolved into gossiping about babies and comparing wizarding child-rearing practices versus Muggle while the little girl slept on, content in her mother's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Crookshanks hunkered down on the expensive Persian carpet that lined the hallway of the sleeping rooms. Onyx, Draco's Kneazle, assumed the same watchful position next to his mentor.

"_Now, see how he comes up to the door, sniffing underneath it?" _Crooks pointed out. Onyx twitched an ear in reply as he kept his eyes locked on the target – a slim area near the floor where the door did not meet with the doorsill. Periodically, whiskers and a wet pink nose would snuffle along the crack, looking for a way out.

"_That is the rat. He is dangerous, Onyx; he's already murdered many people that we know of – and he is dangerous to Harry. If he ever comes out, you must catch him: Alive! Take him to the big dog in the woods; he knows what to do with him."_ Another ear twitch signalled that the young cat was listening.

Crooks growled low in his throat as he saw the rat try to squeeze his head through the crack. The orange cat shot his tail straight back as his eyes narrowed and he raised a bit on his hind haunches, his butt wriggling in the air and his front paws kneading the carpet. Quick as a spell, he launched himself at the door, hitting it hard and scrabbling underneath it with his claws, hissing and spitting for all his worth – but his mission had been accomplished, the rat had scampered further into the redhead's room, squeaking and screaming in fear. Crookshanks yowled to instil further terror into the rodent before retreating back to his watchful position, chuckling meanly. Onyx had watched it all with respect bordering on worship.

"**BLOODY HELL**!" came a roar from the stairwell as the redhead stormed his way up the stairs, the other three fast on his tail. "Hermione, now your cat is enlisting Draco's! I don't believe it! **Shoo**!" he yelled, waving his arms at the felines who stood their ground, watching the boy have a conniption fit with calm, eye-blinking innocence on their faces. Onyx even had the audacity to yawn, widely, before reaching back to wash his tail; as if to say, _I have no idea what you are going on about_. Ron, fuming, stomped over to his room, crashing the door open and closed a split second later as he went to look for his pet. He came out a few moments later holding a clearly terrified animal, with even more patches of fur missing and a bloody scratch down one flank.

The two felines shared a look which, if anyone had been paying attention to them, would have clearly recognised as a smirk worthy of the patriarch of the house. They then rose as one, stretched, yawned and headed back to their respective rooms for a well-earned nap in a spot of sun. They didn't even twitch a whisker when Professor Snape came pounding up the stairs.

"What is going on up here? I'm trying to brew and that needs peace and quiet!" he thundered.

"But Professor, Hermione's cat scratched Scabbers – I know he did! They were just right here, watching my door. I heard him yowling!" Ron protested.

Crossing his arms over his chest and assuming his best annoyed potions professor glare, he asked in a voice guaranteed to make firsties wet themselves in fear, "Mr Weasley, what was your pet doing out of his cage?" When the youth looked down at the floor, sputtering but not actually saying anything coherent, Severus nodded his head. "I thought so. Now," he pointed his wand at the terrified animal who was trying to run out of Ron's hand, and incanted a low spell that healed the abrasion. "He is no longer injured, he can be placed back IN. HIS. CAGE," he enunciated slowly and thoroughly for the Gryffindor's benefit, then shot a look at Draco who had been unsuccessful in silencing a snort. The look sobered the youth up quickly enough, though. Good, parenthood still hadn't blunted his edges – he could still instil fear with a look. He stood there, imposingly, as he watched Weasley return the rat to his room and lock it back securely in its cage. After insisting all the children take their boisterousness outside, he raked his hand over his head in frustration before returning to his potions lab. He still had several potions to make that he wanted Narcissa to take with her to France.

* * *

Two days before Christmas, Severus took Draco aside after breakfast.

"Son, you need to come with me – Harry, you and the others can finish decorating the parlour after your workout with Runeskin. I have some business with Draco this morning; do you understand?" He let his love flow along the now-strong bond he shared with Harry and saw the teen's eyes light up. His son knew that sometimes one child had to come first; sometimes it was Harry, but this time it was Draco. The bond helped keep the jealousy at bay.

"Of course, Dad. C'mon you two, let's get down to the workout room." He led the other two away to their workout routine, Hermione dragging her feet and biting her lower lip as she watched Severus take Draco down a separate path from the gazebo that led to a set of French doors in the southern wall. Ron grabbed her hand, though, and dragged her after Harry so she could not see the reunion she knew must be taking place.

The French doors were cracked open and in the weak, early winter morning light, Draco could see the vague outline of a woman sitting at a small table in the tiny drawing room.

"Mum?" he whispered. He snuck a look at his father who nodded while opening the door wider. Draco moved past him quickly, ending up on his knees in front of the woman who had quickly placed her hands on either side of his face, kissing him on the forehead as he sighed and laid his head in her lap, arms wrapped around her waist. A gurgle from her other side brought his head straight up as he stood to look at the sight of the baby wriggling in its blankets in the white wicker bassinette that stood next to her.

He stepped around his mother's chair to come closer to the baby, reaching out a tentative finger to stroke the soft, soft skin of its cheek, his mind whirling with the implications.

"It's a girl?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, my dragon," she responded.

"And you are leaving father?" came the hopeful, yet tentative, query.

"Yes, but we will remain married – you know the contract won't allow divorce. I just can't live with him anymore, Draco, and Severus offered me a way out. You understand?"

"Yes. Which property?"

"I can't tell you that, Son," she whispered before looking at Snape, pleading in her eyes.

Draco had stiffened with her response, although he truly hadn't expected any other answer. He knew that in order for them to be safe, he could not know where they were. So, after a moment he nodded his understanding while still upset that he would not be able to contact her directly. For once, however, he swallowed his pride and accepted that in this, he would have to go unsatisfied.

"Can... May I – hold her?" he finally asked. He was gratified to see his mother's eyes light up in love and pride as she gently transferred her daughter from the cot to her son's arms, showing him how to correctly cradle the newborn.

Severus left them then, content that Draco was accepting of the situation.

* * *

"She was so soft, Harry," Draco told his brother later that afternoon as they camped out in Harry's parlour area wrapping gifts for their friends and father. Ron and Hermione were ensconced in the main parlour, doing the same thing.

"She smelled of baby powder and milk... so tiny! I'm a big brother!" he said, eyes wide in comprehension as if the concept had just hit him in the head, which perhaps it had. Harry chuckled as he took in the gob-smacked looked on his brother's face.

"Draco, hand me that spello-tape, please? Thanks!" he said as roll of tape flew across the floor into his hand. "So, what's her name?"

"Calista Marie. I like it, it seems to fit her. Mother even let me feed her a bottle. She has the bluest eyes...." he said dreamily.

"Earth to Draco," Harry grinned as he waved a hand in front of his brother's eyes. "So – white hair?" he asked when he had the boy's attention again.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. And curls all over the place."

"Really? I'm so used to you and your parents having straight locks."

"Well, my Aunts Bella and Andromeda have curly hair."

"Who are they?"

"My mother's sisters. Aunt Bella is in Azkaban and Aunt Andromeda was disowned by the family. She married a Muggleborn – it's why Mother can't get out of her marriage contract. Grandfather made it absolutely binding. He didn't care what they did once they got married – but they can't divorce."

"So, she's leaving, right?"

"Yes, going to one of her holdings. It's all under a _Fidelius_ Charm," he explained. "After Christmas, it will be a long time until I see them again – unless Father dies."

Harry snorted in reply.

"Exactly," Draco confirmed. "I'm all done," he said, laying the last of his presents down on top of his pile. "Can I borrow Hedwig to take some of these off tonight?"

"Sure, just give me a minute and I'll add mine to the stack – then she can do them all at once." He called his bird over to their side of the room and watched as she soared across the room to land on the back of the settee. He threw her an owl treat, which she caught neatly out of the air with one foot as she waited for her owner to place the finishing touches on his stack of outgoing gifts.

* * *

Evenings were spent in the parlour, reading or playing board games – a memorable night for all happened during Christmas Eve when Severus agreed to play Ron in a game of Wizard's chess. Severus normally slaughtered his own boys in the game, not one who believed in letting children win for winnings sake; but Ron had held his own for over an hour as the two strategists battled their way across the board. All the teens had ended up gathered loosely around the two players, watching with their mouths opened as Ron sweated bullets, guessing and double guessing his moves as he attempted to see what each move would cost him in the end.

Severus played coolly, each move deliberate and considered. But in the end, Ron had to admit defeat and gently tipped his king over. Severus congratulated him on a well-played game and then proposed that he show Ron where some of his mistakes were. Ron agreed and watched as the pieces reformed, took their beginning places then moved their way through each move of the game while Severus began a running commentary on each move.

The other three shared a look then, as one, moved away from the chess table to follow their own pursuits under the idyllic light of the Christmas tree. Harry was teaching Silicia several tricks, finding that his cobra had a bizarre sense of humour: she loved tying herself into knots. Harry had found a book of sailor's knots in the home library and they were trying as many as they could that only required one piece of rope. Hermione just shook her head and dived into a book she was reading on Wizarding traditions in China until she felt the cushion dip next to her. She looked up to see Draco eyeing her quietly.

"What?" she asked.

"I saw my Mother yesterday," he began in a whisper so that his brother wouldn't hear him. "She told me about your helping her this week; I wanted to thank you."

Hermione let one of her hands drop down on top of the one he had placed on her knee, giving it a squeeze in sympathy. "I couldn't _not_ help, Draco. I'm just glad I was there at the time – although I think your dad was ready to murder me at first," she confided sneaking a glance in the professor's direction. She returned her attention back to the blond. "Did you see your sister?"

He nodded his head, gently removing his hand. "It was good to see her – although I doubt I will ever see much of her. Mother will keep her away from here until she is of age, or Father dies – whichever comes first," he said ruefully. There wasn't much Hermione could say to that, so she gave him a small, sympathetic smile and returned to reading her book.

Draco watched his brother and the cobra for awhile, chuckling at the bizarre formations the two of them were coming up with when he noticed the time.

"Dad! It's nearly time!"

Severus looked up to the clock on the mantel, noticing it was nearly ten p.m. He called for Runeskin who appeared with a tray of biscuits and hot chocolate while Snape waved his wand at the tree, causing bags of goodies to suspend themselves from ribbons on the beautiful fir tree. The teens gathered around the tree and waited until, at the stroke of ten, a pair of scissors shaped like a heron, materialised near the top of the tree and began circling, cutting the ribbons as it went around and around.

Hermione had never seen a wizarding tree before and was stunned for a moment before realising she needed to join in the free-for-all that was the boys grabbing for the bundles as they fell. She soon had a respectable pile in front of her and they all fell, laughing, onto the couches and chair cushions while reaching for the treats the house-elf had brought.

Severus indulged them for a little while before sending them off to bed. Presents would be appearing under the tree soon and they needed to be asleep – or at least in their own rooms – before that happened.

He watched as they tramped up the stairs to the third floor, carrying their tree gifts, waiting until they were out of sight before heading for Narcissa's rooms.

He entered quietly, in case the baby was asleep, but he found mother and daughter enjoying the fire and their own little tree from the comfort of Narcissa's sitting room. The little girl was quiet, staring at the pretty lights dancing off the tree. She had filled out some since being born, and her little tufts of blond hair were gathered in tight curls across her head. Her umbilical had fallen off that morning and Narcissa had her dressed in a Christmas onesie that had magical santas dancing around the collar.

"There's my little girl!" he announced coming over to the little tableau and lifting the baby from Narcissa's arms as she watched, beaming.

He cradled the baby in his arms as he sat near his friend, gazing in wonder at the bundle.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

"No, I'm not, but it will happen sooner or later." She watched her companion cradle her daughter, holding out a finger for her to grasp tightly. "You make a good father, Severus. I'm almost tempted to let you adopt her."

"And I'm almost tempted to let you, but it would be no life for her, growing up in that draughty old castle, raised primarily by a house-elf while I'm teaching and the boys are in class. No, you will both be safer from Lucius in France – but I'm glad you are making me her godfather, Cissy," he said, using the childhood name he had long ago called her by. "Thank you doesn't seem to cover it."

"After all you've done for me and her? Who else deserves the position? You've proven yourself over and over to me, Severus. If anything should happen, I know you will raise her as your own – just as you've done for her brother."

"Let's not borrow trouble, Narcissa. Tomorrow is Christmas, let's get through that first." He chuckled at the look on her face, before she stuck her tongue out at him and reclaimed her daughter to take her for a much needed and obvious change of nappies.

* * *

_What is it with Christmas and tying tinsel around pet's necks?_ Crookshanks grumped to himself after Hermione had taken one of her spare ribbons from her gift wrapping the day before and twined it around his neck, laughing at his consternation as he tried to remove it. She picked up her familiar and carried him in her arms as she travelled the stairs down to the parlour where she could hear the boys laughing.

"Don't bring him in here!" came the resounding cry from the redhead. Crookshanks eyed Ron eagerly as the boy dug the rat out from under some discarded gift paper and stuffed him into his pyjama's pocket. He was ecstatic when Hermione ignored Ron, dropping her pet on one of the couches. She walked over to where two gift papered brooms hovered in the middle of the sitting area.

"Why are there two?" she asked. She could see the name tags glistening in the light of the candle lights on the tree and they both said 'To: Harry'. While one of them had 'From: Severus' below it, the other 'From' was left blank.

Harry shrugged at her question; he obviously had no clue why there were two brooms gifted to him when he was only expecting the one.

"Why haven't you opened them?" she finally asked.

"Waiting for Dad. He hasn't come down yet and I know he'd want to see my reaction when I opened his gift."

"I think you should go ahead and open them, mate!" Ron encouraged before stuffing a chocolate frog in his mouth. He looked down at the card in the bottom of the box, "Helga Hufflepuff – I've got about twenty of her!" he groused. The elderly witch in the painting shook her finger at him before stomping out of the viewing area.

Crooks tuned out the small argument between the boys and his mistress discussing the merits of opening the presents early as he eyed the squirming mass in the pocket.

He took careful aim as he readied himself and, when the redhead turned toward him, he launched himself off the couch onto the boy's chest, digging in his claws and ripping the pyjama top into tatters as he slid down the screaming boy to the floor.

"**Oi**! Get him off me!" Ron yelled as he simultaneously tried to shove the orange cat off of him, protect his dignity from the rapier-sharp claws, and catch the rat before it escaped.

The rat scrambled over the boy's shoulder but Ron managed to catch him by the tail while screaming at Hermione to get her cat out of the room. To emphasize his point, he made as if to kick the Kneazle, but missed and toppled over an end table instead.

A high shrill noise permeated the room at once, making Crookshanks fur stand on end as he eyed a small round gyroscopic device that had fallen off of the table and was whirling on the floor at the cat's feet. The cat backed away, all his fur on end, hissing and spitting at the object as Harry bent down to retrieve it.

"Just one of dad's sneakoscopes," he said, picking up the shrill object and slamming it back into the drawer in the table he had set to right.

Crooks was ever so grateful when Hermione picked him up in her arms and carried him out of the room, although he gave a baleful look over her shoulders to Ron and the trembling rat he held tight in his hands. So close, he had been so close.

* * *

When Hermione had returned after shutting Crooks into her room, she discovered she had missed Severus ushering in Narcissa who carried the baby. Draco rushed over to help her sit down, solicitously getting her a cup of tea and a plate of digestives.

Severus was waving a wand over Ron's tattered pyjama top, and healing the torso long claw marks on his chest. She felt a little guilty, but not a lot. Really, Crookshanks was only acting on his feline instincts! Ron insisted on carrying the rat everywhere when Professor Snape had _told_ him to keep the rat in his rooms but... Ah, there was the professor, berating Ron about removing Scabbers from the safety of his cage. She sighed as he sent Ron upstairs to put Scabbers away, again.

Severus turned around to view the bounty under the tree and caught sight of the two brooms.

"Harry?" he questioned, walking over to the two hovering objects.

"Honest, Dad, I don't know where the second one came from – I didn't order one and everyone in the house knew you were getting me one for Christmas. One of the other teachers, maybe?" he ventured.

Severus shook his head. "No, they all knew I was getting you a new broom as well. Any of your admirers would have placed their name on it to ingratiate themselves to you." Harry blushed at the reminder of his non-wanted fame. Severus noted it and squeezed his son's shoulder in sympathy, sending a pulse of love along the bond. "No, this is someone who doesn't want his largesse to be identified..."

Severus looked thoughtful as he walked around the brooms, waving his wand over both of them and mumbling to himself over the results. The teens were holding their breaths awaiting his verdict, and Narcissa looked on in some amusement. He eventually snatched his gift out of the air, handing it to his son.

"Go ahead and open this one, Harry – I know it is mine." He looked on as the grinning teen tore open the wrapping to find a Nimbus 2003 staring back at him. Harry ran a hand lovingly over the rich, highly polished mahogany of the wood, taking in the details of the sleek seeker's broom; for this was a broom especially designed for seekers: swift, accurate, able to steer with knees only, packed with enough safety charms to satisfy the most protective of guardians, absolutely perfect broom bristles – each cut on a 45 degree angle to lead to a perfectly tapered tip. Feet stirrups gave superb handling and steering, freeing up the seeker to keep his eye on the ball. Harry was in love.

Meanwhile, Severus continued to cast charms on the other broom before allowing the wrapping to be disposed of, keeping the gift card to contact QQS and enquire as to who bought the broom. All of the children gaped open mouthed at the Firebolt that now hung, sparkling, in the air.

"Blimy, Harry, who sent you a Firebolt?" Ron asked as he re-entered the parlour, clothed in casual clothes. "Don't know," Harry replied as he gazed at the spectacular broom. He wanted to reach out and touch it, mount it, fly it to the moon... but he knew his father, until he determined who had sent it, would not let come any nearer.

"The Irish Quidditch team just purchased a complete roster of these," Draco commented. "Although, the Nimbus is the better broom for your position, Harry."

Harry just nodded, dazed. "What are you going to do with it, Dad?"

"I'm going to have it checked for Jinxes, Harry. No one is to touch that broom. In fact, Runeskin!" he called out to the thin air.

Runeskin popped in to stand in front of his master. "Runeskin, please take this broom to Hogwarts and give it to Professor Flitwick. Ask him if he and Professor McGonagall can do a thorough check of this broom and make sure there are no spells, jinxes, hexes or any magic whatsoever that is not supposed to be otherwise on it. Tell them it was gifted to Harry, but we don't know by whom."

The little elf nodded and reaching up to grab the handle, Apparated away.

"Severus?" Narcissa asked, curious as to his demeanour.

"Sirius Black is still listed as Harry's godfather; it could have been sent by him as a way to lure Harry out." He ignored Hermione's bobbing head as she had figured out his caution as well. "There could be a Portkey spell attached to it, it could buck him off in a game – No, I won't take those chances. If it turns out to be an innocent broom, then we will store it here as a spare. Fair enough, boys?"

Both Snapes agreed. Harry preferred his dad's choice, in any case – but it was always good to have a spare hanging around. He hoped nothing was wrong with it; it was a cool broom.

The children soon settled down under the tree, with Draco leaning his head against his mum's legs, revelling in the closeness to her and his new sister. He happily accepted any and all gifts levitated his way, sending his own stack to their respective owners. By the end of the present fiesta, all the children were sporting Weasley Sweaters, even though Draco had received a nudge from his mother's knee when he almost sneered at the gift – even the baby had received a few small items from Hermione, Draco and Severus. Hermione, who was learning knitting, had made a baby cap and matching blanket during the week, and Draco had transfigured a handkerchief into a small, stuffed green dragon. Severus had gifted his goddaughter with several protection amulets and her mother with a boxful of common childhood potions to be taken when she became ill.

Too soon, it was lunchtime after which Narcissa would leave with baby Calista. The manor's occupants gathered in one of the little used dining rooms to partake of the feast that the house-elves had supplied. Severus allowed the children small glasses of watered down wine to help toast the season, and he presided over the carving of the goose, levitating filled plates to each person. At last he waved away the children to go and play in the snow that had fallen overnight, so that he could see Narcissa on her way. Draco had lingered a few moments, kissing his mother and sister farewell before letting himself to be led away by Hermione.

Severus waited until he was sure Draco and Miss Granger were out of range before calling Runeskin.

"I want you to go up to Miss Narcissa's room and take all of her belongings, and the baby's, to France. You will be going to Casa Ignota."

"Of course, Master Severus." And he was gone with small pop.

"Come Narcissa, let's get you to the floo," Severus said, motioning with his arm. She gathered Calista to her chest and allowed Severus to lead her along the corridor to a small ante-room off the main entrance. A comfortable room, it was circular in nature with curtained French windows that led to the outdoors on fair weather days, but were now closed against the snow. An oriental rug cushioned the wood floor, and a grand marble mantle ensconced the walk-in floo that took up the majority of one wall. A kettle with floo powder hung from a cast iron hook next to the entrance to the floo. Several chairs and settees were scattered around the floor and against the walls, but there were no portraits in the room. No chance for overhearing privileged conversations.

He helped her on with her coat and cloak, which were waiting there, making sure the baby was well covered against the ashes of the swirling floo. He gave Narcissa a small kiss on her cheek, bestowed the same on top of the baby's curls then threw a handful of powder onto the grate causing a magical green fire to erupt. He escorted Narcissa into the floo, then stepped back calling out "Casa Ignota", watching his friend and goddaughter disappear in a flash of green flames.


	11. Chapter 11

The day after Boxing Day, the boys all bit back a groan of protest at breakfast when Hermione appeared with a stack of planners: one for each of them. She distributed them before primly sitting down at her place and tucking her serviette on her lap, serving herself from the platters in front of her.

"Those are maximized for the most efficient use of your time in order to complete your homework before we have to be back at Hogwarts. I took all day yesterday making them out for you. They are colour coded for each class and there are blocks of time for other things as well," she pointed out.

Severus was pretending to read his paper and drink his coffee as she said this, but noted with a hint of amusement the looks on all three faces.

Ron looked down at his schedule in wonder then looked over at his know-it-all friend. "And where's yours, Hermione?"

"What do you think I was doing last week, Ronald? Playing with the baby the whole time? No, simply because she was asleep most of it; I was doing my homework because this week I'm going to use the professor's library to research Hagrid's problem with the ministry." At the confused looks on her compatriots, she elucidated. "Buckbeak? The trial? Oh, really!" she said, exasperated at the denseness of the boys. She let her fork clatter back to her plate as she fixed them with her stare. "Remember? Hagrid and Buckbeak are on trial for Bucky scratching Nott's arm?" At the dawning comprehension on their faces, she sighed and dug her fork back into the fluffy, dill-flavoured eggs.

Draco reached over and touched her arm to get her attention. "Thanks, Hermione, I totally forgot we promised to help him." She smiled in return and brought her attention back to her breakfast.

Severus finally reached out and snagged Harry's study schedule. Conjuring a quill, he laid the schedule flat and wrote in a word on several of the empty boxes before handing it back to his son. Harry eyed his revised schedule with scepticism.

"Occlumency, Dad?"

"Remember, I said we would start that during the holidays? Draco, I want you to study as well, but I will start yours after we get back to school – I can only train one of you at a time. Besides, Harry will have a different skill to learn when we return," he enticingly teased.

Harry looked up, interested. "What?"

"Patronuses. Lupin has agreed to teach you how to conjure a Patronus since it appears you still have problems around the Dementors." Harry groaned at the thought of one on one teaching with the mousy professor.

"None of that, Harry! He is one of the premier practitioners of the art and if anyone can teach you, it is he," Severus chided. "Alright, who has potions with me first today?" He grinned as the boys realised Hermione had created these time-tables with his input. Draco raised his hand enthusiastically. "Good, if you are finished, Son, go grab your homework and meet me in the lab. The rest of you, over to the library. Remember, I will be checking before letting you turn in your papers." He shooed them away as he finished his cup of coffee and newspaper in peace and quiet.

* * *

"Alright, Harry, the study of Occlumency is a little different than what we've been doing the past year with your forest. Your forest organises and hides your thoughts, creating niches for everything in your mind. The animals that prowl the perimeter are a form of defence, but they will now turn into an inner defence layer. What I'm going to teach you is how to create a barrier that hides the forest. In its finest form, it repels attackers and allows you to place inconsequential or even false memories in front of it, leading the attacker astray and making them think they have seen all there is to see."

"This is how you stayed safe?" Harry guessed as he settled himself on the floor in front of a fireplace in his father's private sitting room. It was evening, after dinner, and Severus had decided that his rooms were the most comfortable and private place in order to teach Harry this most exact bit of mind magic. He divested himself of his robes and shoes, leaving only a knitted black turtleneck and black pants, and gold toed and heeled black socks. He had lit a small fire in the grate and directed Harry to sit in front of it on some conjured cushions. He settled himself behind his son on the floor, letting Harry lean his back against his chest.

"Now, I'm a natural _Occlumens_, Harry. This ability is as easy as breathing to me, but I doubt if you are. I took the liberty of consulting several books on the matter of meditation, much of which we have already discussed and used in creating your forest. Now we will take it several steps further, using our bond to lead the way. Alright?" Harry nodded, not taking his gaze away from the fire, already falling into a light trance from watching the flames dance in front of him.

"Good. I want you to keep your eyes on the flames, blinking when you need to, and match your breathing to mine. Let the flame fill your vision and your mind. I'm going to guide you along using our bond. Concentrate in... and out. In... and now out, very good Harry. If you need to close your eyes, do so. In... and out."

He continued this for several minutes, watching as Harry paced his breathing to match his and his son's eyes slowly drooped. He followed along the bond, casting a light _Legilimens_ to enter his son's mind.

_Now, Harry, I want you to think about the fire; create a fire barrier between your forest and the outside world, make sure it goes all around it without touching it - above and below as well. _He watched as fire sprang up all around him and he began to walk the perimeter, mindful that Harry was following his every movement. He pointed out weak spots and Harry flowed the fire in to make it uniform. _Good, son, very good. Now, notice I am between the fire and the forest. I can get to your memories; you need to use the fire to force me to the other side so that I can't even see the forest. _Harry hesitated a moment, then surrounded his father with fire, blocking his sight of the forest of memories and pushing him out of the fire perimeter.

_Excellent, Harry. Very good! Now, keep the fire going and I'm going to attempt to penetrate the fire, find a weak spot to break through. Try to keep me from finding a way in. _He increased the power of his Legilimancy and flowed around the fire finding a weak spot to take advantage of... there! He dived in and Harry was too late to stop his father attaining the forest. He dropped the fire entirely and focused on sending his creatures to attack the intruder. Several of his creatures converged on the spot that Severus was penetrating, snarling and snapping in his face. While the creatures were attacking from above and in front of the intruder, vines were attacking from below, tightening up and wrapping him quickly. Severus used several blasting charms to break up the vines, and stunned the creatures before Harry could rally the fire again, using a Chinese Fireball Dragon to throw a fireball at the wizard, knocking him out of the forest and back on the other side of the returned fire barrier.

Severus smiled as he loosened the bond, allowing himself to retreat from his son's mind and return to his sitting room. Harry was still relaxed against his chest, breathing deeply and slowly. So, his son was a natural _Occlumens_ as well! He would just need a few lessons to tighten up the security and learn more repelling manoeuvres. He waited patiently for the break in Harry's breathing and when it came, he gently shook the boy awake, extracting himself from behind and standing up to stretch and conjure a tea tray. Harry eventually stood as well, fixing his own plate and cup and seating himself on his father's settee.

"Congratulations, Son, you're a natural _Occlumens_!" Severus praised.

Harry looked surprised. "I am?"

"Yes, you did quite well with very little guidance from me. Just a few more lessons to tighten things up, and I think you will be fine. It will help with keeping the Dementors from accessing your worst memories, and it will aid you in other mind magics later. We will keep to the schedule the rest of the week and a few tune-up lessons when we return to the school. Be prepared, I will attack at random times to test your barriers. I want you to practice maintaining both defences before going to bed each night." Harry nodded to show he understood the directions.

Severus placed his cup into the saucer and placed them on the coffee table. "The other added bonus is it should reduce your nightmares." Harry looked up sharply at that, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Really? Merlin, I hope so!"

"Harry?" Severus asked, worried. His son rushed to reassure him.

"It hasn't been as bad as that night several weeks ago, truly. But sometimes they are there..." He gulped and stopped, looking down into his tea plate.

Severus was sure Harry was hiding the severity of the problem, but was willing to let him keep his dignity. He still had monitoring charms on the boy's bed and they had not gone off this past week, so maybe he was telling the truth.

* * *

"Miss Granger, might I have a word with you?" came the soft low tones of the professor from his office as Hermione passed by on her way to the library. She stopped and returned to the study door, entering when he indicated he wished her to take a seat in front of his desk.

"Yes, professor?"

"It has come to my attention, via Professor McGonagall, that you have been using a Time Turner this past semester in order to get to all your classes, is that correct?"

Hermione bit her lip, but nodded yes. The professor looked forbidding for a second as he contemplated her answer.

"I see. That explains why you've been so distracted in classes." She gasped out loud, offended.

"Sir, I've been getting all my homework done and maintaining O's in all my classes..." she shut up when he raised a hand to silence her explanation.

"I'm aware of that, Miss Granger. I'm also aware that your health is declining." He tapped a file on his desk. "Madame Pomfrey reports that your weight is down by nearly a stone – weight which you can ill-afford to lose, I might point out – and you appear in class tired and out of sorts, snapping at your year-mates. Not your normal self, Hermione."

At the use of her first name, and the obvious care he was exerting on her behalf, tears sprang to her eyes. She refused to acknowledge them, blinking rapidly to clear them hoping he wouldn't notice. "Why are you attending to this, sir; why not Madame or Professor McGonagall?"

Severus _had_ noticed the tears of frustration in her eyes. "Because, Hermione, you are a friend of Harry's and you are staying with me – another head of house – over the holidays; and now is the time to address this issue before it becomes more of a problem. We are a third of the way done with the school year and you have taken on too much. It is quite obvious to us that you are making yourself sick with this workload. It is plainly not healthy for you. Professor McGonagall feels you need to lighten your load to a normal schedule – for you," he hastened to add seeing the rebellion in her eyes. "We will allow three extra classes, not all five, and they mustn't conflict with any other class. You will also return the Time Turner to me." He saw the rebellion flare again, but it soon lost to her excellent common sense and he knew he had won when she sighed and sank back against the chair in defeat.

"I really thought I could do it, sir. All of the classes were so interesting and I just want to learn as much as I can to catch up with the Wizard born..." she attempted to explain.

"I understand, Hermione, but you could irreparably hurt yourself and your core if you strain it too much."

He looked down at her schedule in front of him, amazed that she had made it this far without collapsing from sheer exhaustion. She must have been using the turner to gain extra study _and_ sleep time as well. Although, it didn't seem to be working. The body's circadian rhythms could only take so much abuse before they completely shut down. He explained this gently to her, and she flushed a bit in shame as she realised what she had been doing. She knew about the importance of maintaining proper circadian rhythms and what too much interference could render. She could smack herself for being so dense.

"Why are you taking Muggle Studies and Divination?" he queried a moment later after further contemplation of her class table. "Those seem plebeian courses to someone with your intellect."

Her hackles rose at the imprecation. "I really wanted to see what they were teaching from the wizarding point of view, sir, and Divination seemed like an interesting, although inexact, science. I wanted to compare and contrast the methods of Divination versus Arithmancy; see which one was more exact."

"A study worthy of a master's degree at Merlin University or the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, but not for a fourteen-year old apprentice. Save that for later, Hermione. I'm sure you have discovered after one term that Muggle Studies, while interesting, really is not worth your time to observe the teaching methods of our esteemed Miss Burbage. Nor is Divination with Trelawney, a practitioner who has yet to make more than one accurate prediction! As I'm sure you've seen in just a short time, Arithmancy is vastly more accurate, and has broader uses than just as a predictor of the future." She nodded her head in agreement with his statements. It was true; Arithmancy was used in warding construction, spellcraft and other fascinating uses, as well as a prognosticator – much on the order of the great mathematicians in one of her favourite Science Fiction series, The Foundation books. One of the reasons she had wanted to take the course of study in the first place – especially as it went hand-in-hand with the study of Runes.

"Good, then I suggest you drop those two subjects and your schedule will be conflict free for the rest of the year." He drew lines through the two classes and rolled up the scroll, tying a ribbon around it and walking over to the study window where a fine school owl awaited on a perch. He tied the scroll to the bird's leg and opened the window long enough for the owl to escape into the crisp air outside. Hermione shivered as the arctic blast flowed into the room before her professor could close the sash. He walked over to sit on the front edge of his desk, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think you will find yourself glad of the reduction, Miss Granger. We don't need you burning yourself and your magic out in only your third year of schooling. I think you were trying to convince yourself, as well as the school board, that you could handle the responsibility because of your excellent habits and intellect. But it is obvious to us, your teachers, that it is just too much, even for you. Three extra classes are still more than any other student in your year – not even any of the Ravenclaws has that heavy of a load, so you can still place that plume in your academic hat, eh?" He smiled to lighten the blow. She finally gave him a tremulous smile and he patted her shoulder again before returning to his seat behind the desk.

"Good. Now, before you go and get the device, how is your research going for the trial? Have you found any precedents?"

That set her off, and she was talking quickly, sharing with him her discoveries in his library that she felt may help her large friend.

* * *

Friday evening, Severus was making his way across the front hall when a loud pounding came from the front door. He paused at the top of the stairs as Runeskin appeared in the entry and hastened to open the large wooden door before whatever was being used on it injured either itself, or the door. Severus was somewhat surprised to see Lucius raising his cane to rap again when the door opened. Although, really, he was more surprised it had taken the blond death eater this long to make the connection. Of course he could also curse himself when he realised he had forgotten that Lucius had been tuned to the manor wards over a decade ago and he had forgotten to ban the man's signature. He sent a message down his bond with Harry insisting that he keep the children in the parlour and to lock the door with a _colloportus_. He grinned in satisfaction as he heard the tell-tale squelch from off to his left.

"Where is your master, elf!" Lucius roared as he barged past the quiet elf, who calmly closed the door behind him.

"Right here, Lucius," Severus announced, tucking his book under his arm and descending the steps to the entry. "How may I assist you this evening?"

The aristocrat snapped his gaze upward as he watched Snape walk down to him, the man stopping just short of the last step.

"Narcissa is missing, Severus. Where is she?" he demanded. Snape studied the man for a moment before answering. Lucius did not seem worried on behalf of his wife, more like he wanted to know where his missing property was. That decided his answer.

Occluding his mind, he answered, "Can't say that I have seen her, Lucius. Have you misplaced your wife? Isn't she due to deliver any day now?" he asked with just a hint of concern to his voice. He could feel Lucius attempt to penetrate his shields, but really, the man was a rank amateur compared to Severus. Even Harry would have been able to keep this man out of his mind with very little effort and Harry had only been studying for four days now. Lucius had been attempting to learn Legilimancy for decades and was still as subtle as a battering ram. Severus flicked the man out of his frontal lobes with barely a blink to acknowledge the attempt.

"Naughty, naughty, Lucius, that was very bad form to attempt that," he smirked at the wizard below him. "I really have no idea where your wife is, Malfoy."

"Damn it, Snape," the man sneered, "I know you've seen her – she always comes to you!" he accused.

"Does she? I hadn't really noticed. I'll take your word on that. Didn't she leave a note?" he enquired politely, letting his false sympathy play across his face.

"No!" Malfoy railed as he began pacing back and forth across the vestibule, heels clicking with irritation. "The baby wasn't due until this week, so I left for a hunting trip with MacNair. I've contacted her midwife and the hospital but they all say she hasn't contacted them. If I find out she's had a girl and run..." he threatened, growling deep in his throat, eyes flashing dangerously at his former colleague.

"If that's the case, Lucius, you will never find her, and I wish her luck," Severus said, his own eyes turning a cold onyx as all the false sympathy was stripped away. "As I warned you last spring, you still don't know the gems you had in your possession, Malfoy – first your son, and now your wife and possible daughter. You treat them as objects to show off when good, and discard when not to your liking. Not like the human beings that they really are, with rights and feelings and bright minds capable of thinking for themselves. Well, I feel sorry for you. You've now managed to lose it all. Maybe someday it will sink in; but as of now, I fear it is too late. They are all gone, aren't they, Lucius." He crossed his arms as he gazed down at the patrician.

Lucius attempted one last time to penetrate Snape's shields, but was rebuffed again. He snarled in frustration, then whirled around and strode through the door the elf had re-opened just in time. As Runeskin closed it again, Severus began to ascend the stairs to resume his interrupted path to the parlour, opening his book to his previous page. He commented without looking back at his servant, "Remind me to change the wards to repel Lucius Malfoy in the morning."

"Of course, Master Severus."

"And send an owl to Mistress Narcissa letting her know that Lucius is aware of her flight," he added as an afterthought.

"As you wish, Master Severus," the chief elf replied, smiling, before heading to the house owlery as his Master headed toward the library.

* * *

"_Where is your master, elf!"_ Draco gasped as he heard his sire's voice boom through the doors of the parlour right after Harry had cast a _colloportus_ at the oak entrance. His shock did not last long though as he rushed to join his brother and Ron who were already pressing their ears up against the wood. As they listened, Hermione was standing nearby in an eerie imitation of Snape: arms crossed, scowling mouth and eyes, foot tapping in irritation.

Ron hissed at her. "'Mione, quiet! We're trying to hear!"

She huffed at her year-mate, then stomped over to an armchair and threw herself into it, opening her book to a random page and pretending to ignore them and read, all the time maintaining an ear out – she was just as curious as the boys were.

"_...If I find out she's had a girl and run..."_ they all heard loud and clear as Lucius ranted in the echoing lobby of the manor.

Harry noticed his brother beginning to sweat and hyperventilate and he reached over to snag an arm around the boy's shoulders, giving them a squeeze in reassurance. "Relax. Dad has it well in hand – he would never tell him where your mother is hiding."

"He scares me, Harry. I thought I was pretty much over him – and then he does something like this." He paced away from the entryway and over to the settee where he curled up, hugging a throw pillow to his stomach. The other two boys followed behind him as it appeared as if the conversation in the manor entrance was finished and they could hear Severus' steps coming nearer.

Harry noticed his brother was still sweating bullets, and his breathing was still sounding ragged. He nudged Draco over and sat behind him, snaking his arms around to hold the blond close to him, leaning his chin on Draco's shoulder and offering physical comfort. Hermione sat nearby, lending her strength as well and Ron stood behind the settee, watching the little tableaux. He jumped when he heard the door release from its charm and he turned and watched his professor enter the parlour.

Severus took in the scene on the couch and, raising his eyebrows, paced over to where his sons sat, sitting next to them when Hermione relinquished her spot to him. She tapped Ron on his shoulder and the two of them left the little family.

"Draco?" Severus whispered.

Draco raised his head to meet his father's eyes and Severus could tell the boy was in pain.

"Draco, it's all right; he can't hurt you. He will never find your mother and sister, and he has just been barred from the wards here. Something I regret forgetting to do earlier." He was telling a little white lie, then, but Draco didn't need to know when Severus was really going to change the wards. Perhaps he would do it tonight, just to be safe.

Draco seemed to accept his father's reassurances, but he was still trembling from the shock of hearing his sire threaten the life of his mother and sister. Severus watched him for a moment more then seemed to make a decision. He summoned two small potions vials and handed them to Draco.

"Drink this purple one first, Son. It is a calming draught. Good," he said, receiving the vial back. "Now, this one... Excellent. That is a mild soporific. Harry, why don't you take your brother upstairs and go to bed early," he suggested. Harry looked like he was about to protest, but one look at Draco's face convinced him that maybe an early night would be worth it. He tugged Draco up off the couch, tossing the pillow back on it, then led the distraught boy out of the parlour and up another flight of stairs to their bedrooms.

Harry knew that Draco would not be able to sleep alone that night, so he led his brother to his own room, setting the unresponsive boy on the bed while he went across the hall to gather nightclothes and extra pillows. When he returned, he helped Draco get changed and under the covers before starting his own night-time ablutions. Returning to the bed, he flicked off the lights leaving only the firelight in the grate flickering against the walls and climbed in behind his brother, wrapping his arms around him. He knew how Draco felt. If Vernon returned from the dead and showed up on his doorstep, he would probably be a blubbering mess as well. But Draco had come so far in the last year and a half.

He whispered to his brother, "Remember, Dragon, we vowed to never let them break us again. We are stronger than them, they have no hold on us anymore!" he felt Draco take a shuddering breath, then relax.

"Thanks, Harry," came the quiet whisper. "I needed to hear that."

"Just be sure you believe it," Harry insisted, squeezing his brother tightly. He felt Draco's arms come up to enclose his own in a tight squeeze in response and the two brothers soon fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Just to take care of some house cleaning duties: All standard disclaimers apply. And a huge thank-you to my support team, for just being there, BeST. The best Beta's a girl could have. And to all my steady reviewers, you guys are truly inspiring. Thank you!**

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* * *

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The minute Harry, Ron and Hermione had returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, Oliver Wood was on Harry.

"So? Did you get it?" he excitedly asked, looking Harry over as if nothing was more important than the broom.

"Merlin, Oliver, chill out!" Harry said, exasperated. "I actually got two brooms, if you can believe it, but I'm using the one my father purchased for me. Come on up to the dorm and I'll show you," he offered. Hermione had already shaken her head at the boys and was heading up the stairs, Ginny offering to help her with Crookshanks basket. Ron followed Harry, Oliver and the rest of the Quidditch team as they all wanted to see the new broom that would hopefully gain the cup for them this year.

Harry headed for his four-poster and lifted his trunk onto it, tossing Hedwig's empty cage to Ron who set it next to her perch. She hadn't gotten much exercise at the Manor this season, so he had let her fly from the property to Hogwarts. He expected her to show up later this evening or tomorrow morning. He watched as all the team gathered in his dorm and surrounded the bed, Ron situating himself across from Harry so he could watch everyone's reactions.

"Everyone ready? Can you all see?" Harry teased, throwing his arms out like a Circus Ringmaster. Silicia raised her head from her regular position around his neck, hissing in excitement as well.

"Get on with it, Snape!" George teased, excited whisperings running through the rest of the group. Harry grinned widely then unsnapped the locks on his trunk with a flourish, lifting the lid and touching his wand to a hidden object.

Everyone gazed in amazement as the broom expanded to its original size and glory, glistening in the late afternoon sun pouring through the windows of the dorm. Wood shook free first and walked over to the broom hanging in midair, taking in its sleek shape, the tapered broom-bristles, the gleaming brass of the foot rests, and the twinkling bits of magic surrounding the name 'Nimbus 2003'.

"A 2003..." he whispered in awe, reaching a hand out to run it reverently along the top of the shaft. "We are soooo going to win the cup this year!" he said a little more forcefully. Several people agreed behind him. "No one else has anything close to this! Everyone says the Firebolt is the best broom for a seeker, but they're wrong. _This_ is the best one; it can do stunts and withstand stresses the Firebolt can only dream of accomplishing."

This statement acted as an icebreaker and the entire team came around to admire the new weapon in the school Quidditch wars.

"Hey, Harry?" Fred asked.

"Yeah?"

"You said you had gotten two brooms?"

"Yeah, the other one didn't have a sender on the card so Dad confiscated it and sent it to Flitwick and McGonagall to get tested. He's afraid it might have had jinxes or hexes put on it."

"What brand was it?" Angelina asked.

Harry grinned. "A Firebolt!" Everyone laughed good naturedly and soon headed out of the dorm, the dinner hour fast approaching. Wood stayed behind a moment longer though.

"What's going to happen to the other broom?"

"If it's clean, Dad will send it home and my brother and I can share it." Oliver seemed satisfied with the answer, and with one more smile at the younger boy and his boy, he took his leave, bouncing in anticipation of their upcoming game with the Ravenclaws at the end of February. Harry could swear he could see the team captain already scheming about the practices.

"C'mon, Ron, let's go get some food!" Ron cheerfully bounced off the bed and joined Harry on the stairs.

****

Two weeks into the term, Harry headed down to the dungeons after his last class on Friday, looking forward to spending the weekend in his father's quarters with his family. For two weeks he had been putting up with taunts from Slytherin's about his encounters with the Dementors. They would go around pulling their hoods up and making spooky noises. This had started after the autumn term had begun, with his encounter on the train – but they had tired of it soon afterwards. Then the disastrous Quidditch game had spurred them on again. He had hoped two weeks for the holidays would've deterred the bullies, but apparently not. Personally, he thought they looked quite foolish – more like Hallowe'en cheap imitations than the real thing, but it caused other students around to snicker and that was what he really disliked.

He also hated going outside for Sprout's classes as it put him nearer to the creatures that hovered along the school boundaries. The chill was ever-present and the depression hung around him like a shroud. He hadn't even attempted to head down to Hagrid's hut since the Quidditch match as it was placed too closely to the gates and he really missed visiting his large friend.

He hated feeling this way; he hated feeling weak and vulnerable. It was like making him relive all the abuse by Vernon all over again, only ten times amplified.

And then there were his mum's screams.

That was the worst.

He shook his head to himself, trying to shake these thoughts away from him. He was only fifty metres away from his father's door when he nearly ran into Nott's gang coming from the Common Room. Harry stood his ground, hand just itching to grab his wand.

"Snape," Nott said derisively, drawing out the name as if it were a curse.

"Out of my way, Nott," Harry advised sharply, frowning at the larger boy.

"Or what? You'll call your traitorous father to save you? You're nothing but a whingy little Papa's boy; you and that other traitor you call a _brother_."

"Better than bowing to something that doesn't even have a body, Nott," Harry shot back. "Really, how pathetic can you get?"

Nott was seeing red and he started to take a step toward Harry, wand raised and a curse on his lips, when a voice cut through the group. "I would advise you to rethink your actions, Mr Nott. You really don't want me to take points away from my own house, nor do you want to serve another detention with me."

Harry grinned as his dad strolled forward from his doorway, bearing down on the three Slytherins.

"Harry, go into the room, please," he directed. Harry pushed his way past the group and then his dad who stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Nothing happened, just words," Harry assured him. His father nodded and after patting his shoulder once, gave him a push towards the open door where Harry could see Draco lounging against the door jamb in a perfect imitation of their father's nonchalant attitude. He broke it, though, to grin at Harry. They watched their dad speak to the group of third-years then smiled as the boys took off at a rapid pace for the Great Hall. Their father kept an eye on the group until they disappeared around the corner then turned around and shooed his sons into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Have they been bothering you two again?" he asked as they all headed towards the sitting area. Harry dropped his book-bag on the floor behind the couch before taking a seat and reaching for the cup of tea Draco had poured for him, relishing the heat on his hands. The dungeons, while he loved his father's rooms, were quite chilly in the winter.

"Not anymore than usual," Harry said. "You, Drake?"

"No, it helps that I only share two classes with them and Nott's little gang isn't in any of them. Pansy and Millicent are, but those two tend to ignore me."

"Good." Severus gave a sharp jerk of his head, glad that there had been no further escalation when he wasn't around to put a damper on things. He turned to Harry giving him his full attention. "Harry, I have spoken with Professor Lupin and you will be starting your Patronus lessons tomorrow afternoon up in the Astronomy lecture room. Do you wish me to be there?" he offered.

Harry thought long and hard. While he would love to have his dad present, he felt he should have the backbone to face the lessons. He was a Gryffindor! Nott's taunts still rang in his ears and he knew he couldn't be turning to his dad every time he came across a difficult lesson. He finally shook his head. "No, but do you know how he'll be teaching me?"

"No idea. He hasn't let me in on his lesson plan," he grunted, clearly put out at that state of affairs. He decided to change the subject. "How has Quidditch practice gone?"

Harry's face lit up in pleasure. "Great! The new broom is wonderful, Dad. So much better than the 2001 – It's nearly as fast and agile as the snitch itself! Thank you so much!" Harry jumped up and impulsively gave the man a giant hug, nearly tumbling onto his dad's lap. Draco laughed at his brother's antics; setting off the other two, and some passing sixth-years out in the corridor nearly had heart attacks hearing the jollity that was seeping through the closed portrait hole.

****

"Come in, Harry," Lupin encouraged when he spotted Harry standing hesitantly at the door. "And close the door, please."

Harry walked into the Lecture room, taking in all the Astronomical devices and books scattered along the walls. A large Orrery stood in the centre of the room, slowly spinning on its multiple axes, ticking off the galactic calendar. He made his way around the device to his teacher who was standing next to a large trunk on the dais.

"Harry, your father and the Headmaster agree that you need to learn the Patronus charm in order to repel the Dementors, should they attack you again."

Harry nodded, he knew this already. "How are you going to teach me?"

"With a Dementor," the man answered simply.

"I thought they weren't allowed in the school!" Harry exclaimed.

Lupin chuckled. "Oh, they're not. But we are going to use the next best thing: A boggart."

Harry's eyebrows hit the roof. Now he knew what was in the trunk. He swallowed down the large lump that had risen in his throat.

Lupin continued his explanation. "We know, from your own admission, that if I had allowed you to face the boggart last autumn that would've been the form it would've taken. The best way to perform this charm is to attempt to use it against a Dementor or Lethifold. As neither are allowed in the school, we will use the boggart to imitate the effects of a Dementor. You will feel as if a real Dementor is in the room with us."

Harry could see the logic of this, although his stomach had clenched in knots at the thought of facing one of those creatures deliberately, whether real or otherwise.

Lupin pulled out his wand and approached the young Lion.

"Now, Harry, the wand movement for the charm is a simple circular flick of the wand to the right along with the words _Expecto Patronum._ The incantation and the wand movement aren't the main criterion, however; you need to feel an extremely strong positive emotion – a very happy thought – and project that at the Dementor. They can't stand happy thoughts, but a shield cannot feel despair so they can't fight against one and the three items together form to produce a visible shield. If you are especially gifted in this charm, it will take the form of an animal totem that is special to you and you alone."

"Can you demonstrate, professor?"

"Of course." Harry watched intently as Lupin raised his wand and chanted "_Expecto Patronum!"_ A large silver wolf sprang from the end of his wand, leaping around the room before walking up to the professor and gazing at him in the eyes, tail wagging, tongue lolling. Harry was sharply reminded of the large black dog he'd seen around the school grounds. They seemed to have the same sense of humour. Lupin nodded to the spirit before it turned and dissipated in the air.

"Wicked," Harry breathed out. Lupin grinned and motioned Harry to stand in front of the trunk.

"Take out your wand and practice the movement and incantation, Harry." Harry did as he was told and Lupin corrected him on his pronunciation and his wrist movement. Harry practiced a few moments more before his teacher pronounced he was satisfied.

"Good. Now, I want you to think of a happy thought. It has to be very strong, Harry, I can't emphasize that enough." He watched as Harry closed his eyes, wand held tightly in his hand at his side. Harry finally opened his eyes and looked at his teacher before switching his guardedly to watch the box.

"Do you have one?"

Harry gave a quick movement of his head in reply. Lupin stepped away from the trunk before using his wand to unlock and raise the lid. At once a Dementor rose from the depths, black as India ink. Harry raised his wand and shouted the spell, but the cold and depression hit him too fast and only a little spurt of light erupted from his wand before he lost consciousness.

"C'mon, Harry, that's a lad," came the quiet voice of the defence professor as Harry struggled back to coherence. He let the man help him sit up and accepted the chunk of chocolate he handed him. "Well that was a good try, Harry, but I don't think your memory was strong enough. What did you try?"

"Erm... my first broom flight?"

"Oh, not strong enough, Harry. No, not at all," he chided softly. "This has to be an all-encompassing happiness, something that transports your heart to the heavens when you think about it," he advised. Harry looked down at the chocolate in his hand. He had really thought that the feeling of freedom he'd obtained the first time he'd flown on the broom would have been enough. Apparently not. He searched his head for more memories. Definitely not the Dursleys – that was right out. He thought about his friendship with Ron and Hermione. While it elicited strong feelings of happiness, they were on par with his broom flight.

Then he remembered the feelings when he discovered that Snape was his dad. At first he'd been confused and bewildered, but as the little family had formed and bonded he'd been the happiest he'd ever been. Now he couldn't think of ever being without them, in fact it hurt him to even consider his father and brother leaving him. He thought about his father hugging him, the strength and comfort in those arms whenever they wrapped themselves around his body, and his father's kiss on top of his head – it gave him an all-over tingle of happiness to just think about it. Then there were his feelings for his brother; Draco could be a right git sometimes, but they had taken a vow together, and they shared things that not even their father knew about. He thought about how they took care of each other, and the feelings he'd had when he realised Draco had been taken into the chamber – and the relief he'd felt when he'd found Draco alive. His heart flipped over in wonder whenever he considered how much he loved them. He turned to his teacher.

"I've got it, I think. It's complicated – it's not one particular instance, more of a series of things – but, well, it makes me really happy to think about it," he confidently declared.

"Is it strong?"

"Yes."

"Then let's try it." Harry jammed the last piece of Chocolate bar in his mouth, enjoying the melty goodness on his tongue, and stood up to face the trunk once again. "Ready?" He waited till Harry gave him the go-ahead then released the boggart once again.

Harry raised his wand and began incanting the spell, Lupin encouraging him as the boggart-Dementor flowed towards him.

"Louder, Harry, let the happy feeling inundate you and flow out your wand!"

"Expecto Patronum, _Expecto Patronum!" _Harry chanted, voice rising in confidence as he watched the half-formed shield erupt from his wand. He could feel the Dementor's effects pressing in on him, trying to suck out his happiness, but he forged on, elating in his progress – letting his love for his father and brother take over his whole being. "_**EXPECTO PATRONUM!"**_ he screamed and then gasped as the shield form snapped in place and forced the Dementor back, keeping it at bay. The effects loosened around him and he stepped forward, directing his wand downward, Lupin laughing delightedly in the background, forcing the creature back into the trunk, his professor slamming down the lid in satisfaction.

"That's it, Harry! Well done!" He pulled another bar of chocolate from his cloak pocket and handed it over to Harry.

"Thanks, Professor Lupin," he sighed. He was happy he had succeeded and gratefully munched onto the chocolate, feeling his spirits rise instantly. He hadn't realised the creature had affected him that badly this time around.

"I'm quite proud of you, Harry. Most of my seventh years can't produce a Patronus on their second try – not a full shield. You are an exceptional wizard. I'd still like you to come and practice, though. Maybe twice a week?"

Harry agreed – he'd really like to try for an animal Patronus; he was curious as to what form it would take.

"Sir, we're learning about Animagi in Transfiguration; does your Patronus animal match your Animagi animal?"

"Not necessarily. And if you note, the Latin translation for the incantation is "I need a protector"; specifically a father-protector. Yet, not all Patroni take on the form of fathers. As you saw, mine is a wolf – and I can tell you right now that my father is most definitely not a wolf. He is an Animagus as well and his Animagus form is not a wolf either; it's a little green gecko lizard, of all things." He chuckled at the memory and Harry grinned as well. "Sometimes a Patronus will match a father's Animagus form – if it is known – but it is not a hard and fast rule."

"Do they ever change?"

"Sometimes, in case of emotional upheaval, it can change form. But that is also a rare occurrence."

He stood up and offered a hand to Harry to heave him up from the platform as well. "Now, keep practicing bringing your thought quickly to the front of your mind. Speed is very important as, if they get the drop on you, you need to react quickly and decisively to create your shield so that it protects you from their influence. So practice drawing and casting – without really doing it – and I'll see you back here on Wednesday night to practice with the boggart some more. Yes? Good." He showed Harry to the door and, locking it behind them, escorted him to Severus' quarters.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: The writer's block has broken, I now know how I am going to structure the rest of the story and it is flowing very well. Yippee!! Not entirely sure how many more chapters, and be warned it will not follow JK's version that closely as we no longer have a time turner to help. Hated that thing, anyway. And before you ask - no I did not plan the password to match the chapter number - that was serendipitous and was already in the previous version of Crookshank's story. It just happened to land that way, honest.**

13.

January and February were quite cold, and the weather didn't start letting up until the end of February as the Gryffindor team readied itself for its match against Ravenclaw. As the final week for the match approached, Crookshanks gave up trying to catch the rat. It was just numerous exercises in futility, as far as he was concerned. He was stunned, therefore, when Ron came storming down into the common room one night.

He came tearing into the room dragging a sheet, and clutching something in his other hand.

"LOOK!" he yelled, brandishing the bloody sheets in front of Hermione's face. "Your cat has finally managed to eat Scabbers! Look! Look here," he screamed, shoving the bloody section at her. Everyone was stunned as Ron accused Crookshanks of eating Scabbers. _As if,_ Crooks thought as he stalked out of the room, thoroughly insulted, and up to the boy's dorm room to check it out for himself. He wouldn't eat that thing if someone paid him to do it! He'd be too afraid of being poisoned!

As the battle raged downstairs, he crept into the boys room, making sure no one was there. He definitely could smell the rat all over the boy's belongings, but the rat had decidedly taken a runner. He searched the corners of the room and along the baseboard until he discovered a small crack in the floor under Ron's bed. He could smell the rat in there and smiled to himself. _Gotcha! _

Now, how could he get Sirius into the room? As he looked around the room from under the bed, Neville came in, dropping his books on his bed and placing a small bit of parchment on his bedside table.

"Can't lose you," he mumbled to himself. "Took me forever to wheedle the passwords for this week from that barmy portrait." He left the room, forgetting to latch the door and when Crookshanks was confident that the boy was gone, he darted out from under the bed and leapt to the top of Neville's bed, snatched the parchment off of the table, then ran out the dorm door.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was grateful that the room was still concentrating on Ron and Hermione's screaming argument and didn't notice as he skirted the edges of the large room, ducking under furniture and waiting patiently by the door with the parchment hidden under his bum, until someone came through.

He didn't have long to wait – Hermione had gathered her books and stormed out of the room to find some solitude in the library for studying, tears in her eyes. Crookshanks grabbed the parchment in his teeth and followed her out the hole, taking off towards his empty classroom in the opposite direction.

****

"_He's under the bed?"_ his friend asked incredulously_._

"_I'm telling you, Paddy, he's in a crack under the bed. You'll never have a better chance,"_ the Kneazle said excitedly.

"_You know, he is just so predictable – he faked his death once, so he tries it again – stupid rat – he should've known we'd figure it out,"_ Sirius grumbled under his breath.

"_Well, I have to agree; while he has been very hard to catch, he really hasn't shown much smarts about this," _agreed the Kneazle.

"_I'll wait till the weekend. This is perfect!" _Paddy licked his chops in anticipation.

****

"Crookshanks!" Ron growled as Harry's lit wand reflected back from the eyes of the orange cat crouched at the edge of the forest watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team make their way wearily back to the castle. Another late night practice had ended and Wood was all fired up, running his team ragged.

Between the late night Quidditch practices, Hermione's study schedule that she was forcing on Harry every time he sat with her in the library, workouts with his brother in the mornings in the dungeons and Professor Lupin's Patronus lessons, Harry was going to go bonkers. However, he was proud of the fact that his defence professor had stopped the lessons. Wednesday night he had declared Harry fully competent with his shield casting – able to produce a strong light shield and that night it had definitely taken on a large, four footed form, faint though it was. It had been the strongest shield to date and Harry hadn't felt the effects of the Dementor at all. They couldn't tell what animal it was, yet, but the professor had assured him that in time it would take on a definitive form. Harry couldn't wait.

As Harry saw the cat's eyes gleam in the light of his _Lumos_, he searched the dark edge of the forest. Where there was one animal, the other tended to follow but he was disappointed this evening, the black dog was nowhere to be seen.

He grabbed his muttering friend and hurried him to the castle as they now lagged well behind the rest of the team. Oliver had worked them so late this evening, he had even missed dinner and now his stomach was protesting mightily. He steered Ron in the direction of the kitchens, tickling the pear when they got to the portrait and yanking open the door when the knob appeared. The elves swarmed around him, loading the two boys up with more food than even Ron could eat. When they were stuffed to the gills, they waddled up the long staircases to the seventh floor entrance of Gryffindor tower.

"Woa, Harry, who is that?" Ron asked, indicating a shadowy figure slumped on the floor next to the portrait of Sir Cadogan. Harry stepped carefully over to the body, leaning his broom against the wall so he could kneel down and peer at the person.

"Neville?" he squeaked. Damn, his voice would crack just now! Ron sniggered and Harry slapped him in the shins. Then he reached over and shook the other boy awake.

"Neville – hey, Neville!" he said again, as the boy roused.

"Hunh? Oh, Harry!" he cried thankfully when he figured out who had awoken him. "Thank Merlin, I thought I'd have to sleep out here all night!" he said, knuckling the sleep out of his eyes while yawning.

"What happened?" Harry asked gently.

"Him!" the pudgy boy pointed at the new guardian portrait. "He's constantly changing the passwords and I just can't remember." The other two nodded sympathetically, "So, Saturday I had him give me all the passwords for the week and I wrote them all down. But I must've lost the list last night because this morning I couldn't find it. I looked all over the dorm for it, I could swear I left it on my nightstand last evening, but it wasn't there!" he cried. "And now that git won't let me in!"

"No password, no entrance; you ruffian!" The knight spluttered, stamping his armoured foot in emphasis. Unfortunately, the move caused his visor to fall down, clanking loudly and causing his words to be muffled as he stumbled around the foreground trying to raise the metal piece back up. Harry thought it quite an improvement. The portrait was driving the entire tower mad, and he was sure Neville wasn't the only one who was writing down passwords, stupid as the act may be.

"C'mon, Nev, we've got the password," Ron said, offering his friend a hand up. Neville gratefully took the offer and sighed as Harry said "Triskaidekaphobia" and the painting opened with a snick.

****

Severus watched with Draco, both bundled up in warm cloaks as the brisk February weather snapped the pennants to and fro on the House viewing towers, decked out in their colours, around the Quidditch field. Today, nearly the entire school had come out for the first game of the New Year: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. The crowd cheered as the teams had taken to the air, swinging around the field in a quick practice lap before meeting over the centre of the field to await Hooch's signal and the tossing of the Quaffle.

Severus watched as the instructor floated the trunk to the middle of the field and released the Snitch. It flitted first over to Cho Chang, the new Seeker for the Ravenclaws; a pretty girl of Asian ancestry with a decidedly Scottish accent, her family having immigrated to the region several generations back. Severus knew that the combination made her very popular amongst the boys of all the houses. After circling Miss Chang, the ball flew over to his son, nearly flirting with the boy.

_Really_, Severus thought to himself, _the damn ball acts like a coquette! If it had lips, it would be giving the boy kisses on the cheeks!_ He humphed to himself as the ball gave one last flutter in front of Harry's face before taking off at a fast clip, disappearing in the brilliant sunshine of the day. Draco sniggered next to him.

"No wonder I could never win a game, that thing is enamoured with him!" he complained good-naturedly.

The Bludgers were released next and with a blast of her whistle, Hooch tossed the Quaffle in the air and ducked as the Chasers made a mad grab for the red leather ball. Ravenclaw won the toss and streaked off toward the goal posts and Oliver Wood - who made the first save of the day, grinning widely as Katie Bell snatched the ball out of the air and flew towards the opposite end of the field.

The play was quite even throughout the game, chasers trading goals and keeping the game neck and neck. Finally, however, Harry spotted the snitch across the field and took off after it, Chang fast on his heels. At that moment a disturbance hit the field and Severus saw red as two black-cloaked figures weaved across the grass, causing students to scream in fright.

Before anyone could act, however, Harry had whipped his wand out and, without pausing in flight, shot his Patronus at the creatures and continuing on to the little golden ball, snatched it out of the air and raised his arm in triumph. But no one noticed as their attention was on the field watching the white-misted creature stalk around the black cloaks which were now weaving around as if drunk before they toppled over, revealing four of his third-year Slytherins struggling to get themselves free of the massive cloaks that were now tangling up their feet. The Patronus, which Severus could now see was a massive panther, slinked in a circle around the idiots, waiting for someone to take charge of them.

Severus sighed as the rest of the stands erupted in laughter and joined Dumbledore and McGonagall as they descended from the teachers viewing tower leaving behind Draco who was bent over clutching his side, he was laughing so hard.

As they made their way across the field, Jordan finally noticed that Harry had the snitch. Of course that was because Harry had finally resorted to flying over to the announcer's box and shoved his glove with the now-passive snitch under the boy's nose.

The Gryffindor's raised a laughing cheer, and the Ravenclaw's attempted to pout, but it was half-hearted at best since everyone's attention was still on the drama occurring on the field. The panther had dissipated when McGonagall had led the pack of professors over to the miscreants, loudly berating them and grabbing Nott and Zabini by their ear lobes, lifting the boys from the tangle of cloaks. Severus reached Crabbe and Goyle, grabbing them by their biceps and marching them out of the arena, McGonagall following quickly after them with her pair.

Harry flew over to where Draco was sitting in the teacher's box, wiping the tears from his eyes and still giggling madly.

"Oh Merlin, Harry, that was priceless! Those gits! And your Patronus!" he exclaimed, reaching over the railing to slap his brother on the back in congratulations. "Did you know it was a panther?"

"No. We knew it was a large four footed animal, but it wasn't that distinct Wednesday night." He grinned at his brother. "Really, that was a fluke. I was so concentrated on getting the snitch, I didn't realise the Dementors weren't real. I was feeling so good that it just flowed from wand so naturally... I didn't know they weren't real until I turned around after catching the ball. Merlin, did you see their faces when Dad and McGonagall got there?"

Just the thought set Draco off again, and Harry followed. When they had calmed down, Harry urged his brother over the rail onto his broom and he flew them over to the castle, buzzing the rest of the crowd. The rest of players joined in, stopping to let friends onto their brooms as well. All in all, it turned out to be the friendliest game of competitive Quidditch Hogwarts had seen in many years.

****

On Friday night, Crookshanks had gone to visit Sirius again. This time they met at the edge of the forest and nearly got caught as Ron and Harry came by after a late final practice prior to the Ravenclaw game. Crooks blinked owlishly at Harry as he shined a _lumos_ in the cat's eyes making them glow in the late twilight. Sirius had slunk behind the tree and was gone when Crookshanks turned back to him. That was all right, they had finalised the plans for the next night already.

Padfoot and Crookshanks watched the Ravenclaw/Gryffindor match from under the seats and Crooks had to bite Paddy's leg to keep him from rushing out onto the field when the fake Dementors were revealed. Crookshanks sympathised with his friend, he wanted to bite the idiots himself, but he knew Paddy couldn't reveal himself. He had to admit, however, that Harry's Patronus was spectacular.

He watched as the panther erupted fully formed from the boy's wand, chasing the black-clad Slytherins stumbling across the field and getting entangled in their long robes, falling all over themselves in a pathetic attempt to get away from the fearsome creature barrelling down at them. The panther had halted and gazed over at where Sirius and Crookshanks were hiding, giving them a slight nod - as if giving them his blessing - before he dissipated in a cloud of silver smoke when the teachers finally made it to the field. The crowd was still laughing as Harry caught the snitch a moment later, while Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape descended on the field to take the three hooligans to task.

When the match was over, and the party had finally concluded early in the morning after McGonagall had ended up coming up to the tower twice to shush them, Crookshanks met Sirius at the Statue of the One-Eyed Witch and led him to the portrait of Sir Cadogan.

"Stand and fight, you surly cur!" the knight demanded, raking Sirius up and down with his eyes. "What's the password?"

Sirius growled to himself, but pulled out the parchment his friend had nabbed for him, staring at the messy handwriting. Crookshanks sat up against the wall ready to enjoy the show.

"Rapscallion…" the escaped convict began.

"Monday's." The painting sounded a bit bored, as if he went through this a lot.

"Pennywhistle," Sirius tried next.

"Tuesday morning's," the portrait declared, sneering at the intruder before resuming his check to see if his nails were clean.

Sirius gazed back down at the parchment. "Triskaidekaphobia – for real?" he asked in amazement, looking up at the portrait who was now leaning on the quillions of his sword.

"Of course, you mangy dog." Crooks smiled at this apt description of his friend. "And still the wrong one – that was Friday afternoon's," he pointed out helpfully, now whipping his sword around, practicing with it against a beat-up old tree stump, wood chips flying half-heartedly when the nicked edge of the sword actually made contact at the right angle.

Sirius looked at the writing again, his face lighting up in understanding. "Ah, then today's, as it is Sunday morning must be…" he glanced down to make sure he had it right, shaking his head at the absurdity and complexity of it. "Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus?"

"Splendid!" Sir Cadogan saluted the man with his sword, nearly clocking himself in the head as he did so. "You may now enter the golden chamber!" and the door unlatched, letting in Sirius and Crookshanks.

"What a barmy pain in the arse…" Sirius muttered as he stuffed the parchment back into his pocket and strolled across the common room, stopping in amazement in the centre of the room. He never noticed that the paper never made it into his pocket and instead, floated to the floor near the floo. "It's as if I never left…" he said as he gazed longingly at the red and gold furnishings, casting tender looks at the sleeping portraits and running his hand fondly along the back of the well-worn fabric of the couch, smiling at the memories it invoked.

He could see in his minds eye James, Remus, Peter and himself, lounging in this exact spot – Lords of Gryffindor tower, Lily on James' lap gazing adoringly into his eyes; his own latest conquest doing the same on his own lap. Good music ghosted in the air in the background, and everyone was smiling and laughing at one of James' jokes.

He was startled out of his reminiscing when Crookshanks, annoyed at his friend's dallying and frightfully aware that anyone could wake up at anytime and find them, sank his teeth into his friend's dirty trousers and yanked at them, trying to pull him towards the stairs.

"Oh, all right, keep your fur on – I'm coming!" Sirius whispered as he followed the cat up the stairs to the boy's dormitories, the trip evoking even more memories that teased his mind.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Sirius motioned to Crookshanks to stay behind him and keep quiet. Then, pulling a long knife from under his cloak, he pushed open the door and crept into the room. He found Harry's bed first and stood there for a long moment gazing down lovingly at his godson, as Crooks snuck underneath Ron's bed. He reached a trembling hand out, as if to move back a long tress of hair, but pulled it back before it made contact. It wouldn't do to wake the boy.

Crooks was quite surprised when he discovered the rat climbing the hangings of the redhead's bed and meowed quietly for Sirius' attention. The convict turned his head and spotted the rat scrambling frantically up the drapes trying to make his escape. The rat squealed as it attempted to climb faster, hoping to get out of the furious man's reach. Sirius stabbed repeatedly at the hangings and almost caught the traitor, but Ron woke up at all the noise, startling Sirius. The two took one look at each other and they both screamed; Sirius in frustration and Ron in sheer fright.

Sirius took one last disgusted look at the rat's tail disappearing out the window and then hurriedly followed Crookshanks out the door, transforming back into a dog as he went. They raced across the common room as chaos erupted behind them, and Paddy barrelled his way out the door, claws skidding as he scrabbled for purchase on the slick stone of the hallway, heading for the stairs.

They ran until they came to the witch statue and Sirius slipped down its hole and escaped into the night.

Crookshanks entered his classroom and went to the window to watch the rest of the night slide by, angry at their latest slip-up and not sure how they were going to fix it.


	14. Chapter 14

**14.**

Minerva McGonagall was furious. This was the third time this night she had been called to the Gryffindor Common Room because of the noise. But this one took the cake.

She paced up and down in front of her House occupants, Severus, Dumbledore, Flitwick and Sprout arrayed behind her.

"Who was the – unfortunate – dung beetled brained student who left this scrap of parchment lying around for anyone to confiscate and use?" She yelled, causing the other professors to glower at the ranks of shame-faced and confused Gryffindors ranged in front of them. She shook the parchment in her hand, face red in anger.

Neville's face went red as well, as he timidly raised a hand half way up.

"Longbottom! I somehow knew this was your handwriting!" she stormed over to stand in front of him, as his hand flopped back down and he cringed in the face of her fury. His fellow classmates all took a step or two away from him, letting him face their Head of House on his own – the Weasley twins humming a dirge under their breath; all except Harry. He stepped up ignoring the looks he was getting from his housemates, father and McGonagall.

"Um, ma'am – it wasn't entirely Neville's fault," he asserted on his friend's behalf.

She snapped her head over to him. "What are you on about, Mr Potter-Snape! He admits he wrote the passwords down and left them where they could be stolen. What is not entirely at fault there?" She tightened the sash on her dressing gown and folded her arms over her chest, clearly so she wouldn't be tempted to strangle Neville.

Harry let a little of his anger through, "The portrait is a head-case, Professor! He is constantly changing the password – sometimes twice or three times a day! I'm sure Neville isn't the only one who was writing them down!" Some murmuring went on behind him and he could hear some people agreeing with him. But he could see his dad giving him a glare for his rudeness. "I'm just saying it's not all Nev's fault, ma'am," he retreated a bit.

Minerva harumphed as she gave Harry a look-over. Then she turned to Neville. "Fifty points off, Longbottom, and until Black is caught, you are not to be trusted with the passwords. You will need to have someone let you in each evening. I am also notifying your Grandmother of this deplorable lack of thought on your part!" Neville gulped, loudly, and there was some muttering in the background.

Snape let out with a sharp "Quiet!" and the room became as silent as a tomb. He graciously turned them back over to Minerva with a flourish. She quickly schooled the twitch of her lips into a severe look when she turned back to her yawning students.

"For your sake, Mr Longbottom, I hope you have some very good friends who won't let you freeze out in the corridors!" she berated. "Now, everyone," she clapped her hands together to get their attention, "head back up to your dorms; I expect you will all be sleeping in, aren't you lucky it's Sunday morning. Mr Longbottom – my office at ten o'clock to go over your detentions."

"Yes, ma'am," he said resignedly, turning to head up to the dorm. Harry gave him a squeeze on the shoulder as he passed by, and Neville gave him a quiet thanks before mumbling, "My gran is going to kill me!" His friend agreed, he'd heard her Howlers before and they were not pleasant. After saying goodnight to his friends, Harry headed over to where Ron was being looked at by Madame Pomfrey.

"I'm fine!" Ron was insisting to the tut-tutting Medi-witch. "He didn't touch me – not that he wasn't getting ready to; really, I was just startled, is all. What do you expect when you wake up to a Mass Murderer standing over you with this reaaallllly big knife, poised as if he's about to _plunge_ it into your heart!" he said dramatically, while acting out the descent of the knife - quite graphically.

"Really, Mr Weasley, there is no need to exaggerate!" the nurse huffed as she waved a wand over him.

"I'm not! Harry, tell them I'm not!" he urged his best friend.

Harry nodded his head in agreement. Dumbledore came over to stand near them, Severus right behind him. Sprout and Flitwick had left, but Lupin had joined the party in the meantime, a dull grey dressing gown wrapped around his shabby nightshirt.

"Mr Snape, why don't you tell us what you saw," The Headmaster prompted.

"Well, I woke up to Ron yelling and looked over to see what appeared to be Sirius Black standing over him with a knife; only he was yelling, too. Then he turned and ran out of the room," he stated, trying to hold back a yawn and failing miserably. McGonagall had been right to complain; this was the third time she'd shown up. The first two were because of the party and now Black had actually managed to enter their tower.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "I woke up because there was all this noise around my bed and I woke up to him tearing at my bed hangings with his knife, I thought I was dreaming! Then I realised I wasn't. I looked at him... and he looked at me – really spooky like, his eyes got really big and wide – and I screamed, and _he_ screamed... Then he took off! I must've scared him!" Ron looked surprised at this thought, then he grinned to himself.

"Yes, my boy, that must have been the reason for him to flee," Albus said, his eyes twinkling madly. Harry never trusted that look, but Ron just soaked in the praise while Snape snorted and rolled his eyes behind Dumbledore's back. "I'm sure he is long gone for now," the old wizard continued. Harry looked up at his father, but Severus just gave a small shake of his head, and passed some reassurance down the bond. Harry understood this to mean they would talk later, when everyone else wasn't around.

"But Harry," Ron asked quietly while the Headmaster was conferring with the other adults, "I thought he was after you; why'd he attack _my_ bed?"

"A very good question, Mr Weasley," Severus interjected, startling Ron so bad he jumped in his seat, and murmured 'Blimey!' under his breath after his heart slowed down. "Harry, it's up to you: do you wish to stay here tonight, or come down to your room?"

Harry gave it some thought, but eventually decided on staying in the dorm. "It's like the Headmaster said, Dad, he's long gone from now – it's nearly dawn, he's not going to come back tonight. No, I'll just stay here and try to get some sleep. But I'll join you and Draco tonight, if you don't mind?"

Severus laid his hand at the back of Harry's head in silent acquiescence then turned as Albus spoke up.

"Gentlemen – and Ladies – let's leave these children to their well-deserved slumber. I'm sure we all could use some as well. Just as at Hallowe'en, we will find him long gone from the castle. Let's return to our warm beds for the remainder of this night and bring some fresh perspective to this in the morning. Mr Weasley, I'll be up later in the morning to fix your bed curtains." Ron looked startled for a moment, but said thank you before dragging his tired body back up the stairs. The adrenaline had left his system, and he just wanted to sleep.

"My dears," Albus indicated that Minerva and Poppy should precede him out the portrait hole as the boys headed back to their dorm room to try and catch some sleep.

* * *

"All right, so we are agreed: the Fat Lady is willing to return to her portrait as long as there is live security in front of her. Filius knows of a business that hires out Security Trolls and will contact them today so that they are in place by tomorrow morning. We've added more wards to the doors and secret passages to warn us of any intruders... Other than locking Mr Potter-Snape up in a Rapunzel tower, I don't know how we can secure his safety any further. Severus, do you have anything to add?"

"No. Harry is aware of the protections in place, he also has a Portkey to my quarters that he wears at all times. I can not sanction any further restrictions. He already knows not to travel anywhere alone, and he has given up visiting Hagrid due to the Dementors proximity to the cottage." He thought about telling the Headmaster about the map that Remus had confiscated prior to the holidays, but he could not see how it would aid them if they couldn't constantly monitor it. The sheer number of names that flitted around the corridors and the grounds of the school were mind numbing. The little flags were constantly overlapping each other, so it was really hard to look for one specific person unless you knew where to look in the first place.

"If that is all, then we shall adjourn for lunch. Severus, walk with me," Albus asked quietly as the rest of the staff left the conference room.

Snape gathered his notes neatly together, rolling them up with a practiced twist of the wrist, tucking them under his arm as he paced down the stairs to the Great Hall next to his employer.

"How is Harry handling this?"

Raising an eyebrow, Severus asked, "How should he be handling it? He is aware Black is a dangerous escaped convict who appears to be out for Harry's death in order to complete the task he started twelve years ago. He has been aware of this since August. But Mr Weasley brought up an interesting point, Albus. If Black was after Harry, why was he attacking Weasley's bed curtains? Harry told me this morning that his own curtains were open, he rarely closes them. Weasley's were only partially drawn. Black knew which boy was which – so I repeat: Why attack Weasley's _curtains_ and not actually Weasley or Harry?" He eyed Dumbledore as the wizard strolled with him, lost in thought and stroking his beard. "Something to think about, don't you agree, Albus?"

"Quite..."

* * *

With all the new security on the Gryffindor corridor, and in fact throughout the entire castle, Crookshanks had a feeling that the rat had run out of the castle. This was proved out when he met up with Sirius and the dog told him he had seen the rat scamper out the window. They both decided that the best thing to do was to keep an eye on the grounds and perhaps they would run across the rodent again. They felt he would stay nearby.

So, every night, the two would meet at the edge of the forest and begin walking their rounds together. Early on, Crookshanks had caught the rat's scent around Hagrid's hut – but all the spring rains had masked its trail so the two were unsure where the rat had gone. They felt that it behoved them to pay especial attention to the area surrounding the gamekeeper's home and concentrated most of their prowling in that area.

As the weather got warmer, and the sun stayed out longer, they began meeting during the twilight time to begin their rounds. The school year was winding down and they still hadn't found the rat – but they persevered in the hopes that he would still show himself.

* * *

As the days got longer, the students became more stressed as end of the year exams drew nearer. Hermione had – predictably – created more study guides for her and her friends, which – if they wanted to survive with her in the same room – they adhered to religiously. All except Ron. He refused to still speak to the girl, still blaming her cat for Scabbers demise. When she had given him a guide, he'd chucked it into the fireplace when her back was turned.

Hermione tried not to let it get to her, she had enough on her plate, and told Harry so a week before the tests began, in the library.

"He's still being a prat, but I just can't apologise, Harry. It wasn't Crookshank's fault; he was just doing what comes naturally."

"I know, 'Mione. I hate being the one stuck in the middle, is all."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I don't mean to place you in the middle..." she sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I understand – but this really needs to stop. Let's just concentrate on Runes – we have that first thing Monday morning."

She nodded and pulled out the thick book as Harry pulled out parchment and sharpened his quill.

* * *

Lupin paced back and forth in front of Severus Snape's office before finally getting the courage up to knock on the door. A faint "Enter" was heard and he took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Lupin, what are you doing here? I was going to bring the potion in an hour," Severus asked, looking up for a moment then returning his attention to a pile of exams in front of him. "Besides, don't you have exams to mark, or did you just run them through that maze of yours and that was it?" he sneered.

Remus chuckled, "No, there was a written exam as well, but not nearly as long as yours, I dare say. No, I wanted to see if you had any luck with the map?"

"The map? Why?" He looked up and stared for a moment at the professor before narrowing his eyes. "What do you know, Lupin?"

Remus shuffled a bit, fiddling with a piece of shiral glass on Snapes's desk. Severus moved swiftly, snatching the ball out of his colleague's hand and slamming it down on the wood, causing the man to jump.

"Out with it, wolf," he demanded.

"All right; the night James saved you from me – how did he do it? What did you see?"

Severus leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Humour me; what did you see?" he asked again.

"I did not see you, although I heard you. Potter came running down the tunnel, shoving me behind him – telling me to run back to the tunnel entrance." He closed his eyes, remembering back to that fateful night so many years ago. "I ran, but before I reached the turn, I heard a sound behind me – so I stopped and turned. You had broken through the door and Potter – Potter turned into a huge stag, blocking the way..." His eyes snapped open to stare at Lily's friend. "He was an Animagus – I didn't even realise it till now!"

Remus nodded his head. "They all were – all the marauders. They did it to accompany me on my nights."

"The fools!" Severus spat.

"Yes, and we were teenagers. It was dangerous and thrilling at the same time." He shrugged his shoulders. "What I'm trying to say is that I think I know how Black has been getting in – in his Animagus form."

"Which is?"

"A big black dog – it looks like a classic..."

"Grim."

"Why, yes – how did you know?" he asked, startled.

"Harry's been seeing it constantly! Hell, we all even played catch with it at before Christmas! Merlin!" He stormed from around the desk, heading over to Salazar's portrait, snapping "Follow me!" at Lupin as he nearly ran through the short corridor to the other end. Remus sped after him, entering the teacher's quarters and watching as he unlocked a desk drawer, snatching a piece of parchment from inside and taking it over to the dining table to spread it out.

Touching his wand to the centre of the sheet, ink began to rise to the surface, fanning out from the point of the wand and filling all edges. Once the map was complete, Severus fashioned a ball of light and positioned it over the table, waving Lupin over.

"Help me search. Is there any way we can get it to show the grounds as well?"

"Yes there is, but I'm going to have to recharm it. Turn it over – we'll leave the castle on this side." Severus flipped the map and watched as Remus drew his wand and began incanting in long strings of Latin, while weaving his wand in complicated patterns. Finally he asked Severus for a bottle of India ink. Summoning the requested object, he handed it to Remus who pulled out the stopper and then used his wand to lift a stream of the black liquid and spell it directly into the parchment. Severus watched as the parchment absorbed the ink like a sponge.

A few more wand passes and low mutterings, and then a bright flash of light finished the spell work and the two gazed at the lines that began filling in the back of the parchment surrounding a small representation of the castle.

"It insisted I set the password to be the same, so I did. I've also added a little nuance that is keyed only to me – and now you: you can ask for specific individuals to show themselves in a different colour." At the look of sheer incredulity on Severus' face, he qualified, "It's something I've picked up since then."

"Let's just get on with this. Don't believe for an instant that I'm letting go of the fact you didn't tell me any of this seven months ago when you gave me the map – you knew he was an Animagus then! But, I'm not going to say anything right now – let's just catch him and have done with it. Here..." He split the ball of light in half, raising the map up between them. "You check the grounds, and I'll check the castle. What's the incantation?"

"Just say 'Show me' and the name of the person you want to follow. If they are on the map they appear in red flags."

"Marvellous," he deadpanned. "Show me..."

* * *

"Look, Harry, I'm telling you, that is what she said! She went all spooky-like, her voice didn't even sound like her normal voice. It was really creepy!" Ron said at dinner. Draco had joined them along with his friend, Luna Lovegood. Hermione was pretending to read as she picked at her sandwich, pinching off bits of the crust and rolling them into little dough balls.

"C'mon, Ron – you know Trelawney is daft, 'His servant shall join him tonight'," Harry imitated eerily, making even Hermione grin a bit. "Clearly off her rocker."

"I don't know, mate, it just made my hair crawl," Ron commented. He shot a glance at Hermione, then blushed. Harry noticed and nudged him in the shoulder. They'd had a conversation earlier in the day about how Hermione was not at fault for what her cat chose to do, and Harry had made Ron promise him he would apologise, somehow, at dinner.

Ron coughed a bit then cleared his throat, "Erm, Hermione... You know Hagrid lost the trial with Buckbeak and tonight's the execution? We were all going to go down to Hagrid's after dinner – Harry's willing to go as long as the rest of us come along – you know, to give moral support, but it won't be the same if you don't join us, you and Draco did all the research and all."

Hermione looked up. "And what about Crookshanks?" she asked pointedly.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't've blamed you for your cat," he glanced at Harry, "erm, acting like a cat." He gave her his puppy-eyed look that he had perfected on his mum years ago – guaranteed to work. "Please join us?" She took one look at his hang-dog face, then sighed once, giggled a bit and finally gave in.

"Alright, I'll come along – but only because I need the exercise. I'm so glad your Dad talked me into giving up those extra classes," she commented to Harry and Draco. "I hate to think what state I'd be in if I had continued; probably stretched six ways from Sunday and flat on my back with exhaustion in Madam Pomfrey's lair!"

Draco pushed back from the table, grabbing the back of his brother's shirt to haul him up as well. "C'mon, there is only so much light left right now – let's go!" He'd wanted to get down to Hagrid's for days, especially with his brother. He wasn't about to waste any time now!

Handing her book to Ginny Weasley to return it to the tower for her, Hermione joined the group as they trooped down to the Gamekeeper's hut.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: **So here we are. Major disclaimer for this and the next chapter: If you think it sounds like JKR wrote the dialogue, she probably did. I only tweaked the shack scene to fit my version - but you can't mess too much with brilliance. So, yes, I will admit freely that I used her dialogue where it fit. That being said, let the angst begin. There are only 3 chapters left after this.**

**15.**

"I don't see him anywhere in the castle," Snape said, clearly frustrated. "The children are all heading down towards Hagrid's – do you see them?"

"Not yet... Wait - there they are. I see Crookshanks coming onto the map from the forest – I couldn't get the whole forest to show up, too much strange magic – just the edge. Hang on... There he is!" he cried triumphantly, slapping the map down onto the table top so they both could see. Severus joined him on his side of the table where they both leant over to concentrate on the little flags moving across the parchment. "Look, he's hovering just at the edge of the forest watching Crookshanks walk over to Hagrid's. Why didn't he attack the children as well? Why didn't he attack when you met him in Hogsmeade during the holidays..." he mused out loud. "Something is not adding up..."

"This could be why..." Severus said ominously, pointing to something inside the hut.

"But he's dead! He's supposed to be dead!" Remus exclaimed.

"And Black is supposed to be guilty. But I'm beginning to think that isn't the case. Go with me on this, Lupin," he said pacing away from the table. "What if Black wasn't the traitor, What if they _switched _Secret Keepers?"

Lupin was silent for a long moment thinking over the possibilities and remembering back to that fateful autumn. "It's possible... You know Lily had a cat that absolutely hated Peter. The few times I was there when Peter was present, the cat would lie in wait for him. He had some nasty claw marks from that feline. But Sirius... Sirius he loved," he thought out loud, then shook his head to get back on track. "Sirius would've figured that Peter was the perfect one to be the secret keeper, who would suspect him? Whereas we all figured Sirius held the secret. It was logical... James best friend, the ultimate trusting position for your best man and godfather of your first-born son... Sorry – I'm just going with what they would've thought at the time." Severus waved off the apology – he knew that Lupin was just thinking out loud. Remus continued with his spoken cogitation. "Of course that meant that if it was logical to all of us, it would be logical to He-who-must-not-be-named. Thus, be a decoy – switch the secret keeper – don't tell anyone else and act as if you are still the chosen one. Merlin, you can tell he grew up in a family of Slytherins! Yes," he affirmed, "I can see him convincing James to switch."

"So, say Peter is the Secret Keeper, Sirius shows up on his idiotic bike and gives it to Hagrid to take Harry to safety, and takes off after Pettigrew. Damn, it does make perfect sense!"

Lupin shook his head, "We should have known he wouldn't turn – how could I have doubted him?" he sounded truly pained as he realised all the implications. Severus could tell the man was beating himself up about this. He had to get him back on track.

"But Pettigrew... Lupin, what was his Animagus form?" He asked, shaking the man lightly by the shoulders. Remus blinked at him, coming out of his self-flagellation.

"A rat... Merlin! Ron's rat!" he whispered hoarsely.

"Exactly," Snape said triumphantly. "A rat who is missing a toe! I noticed at Christmas when I had to keep after Weasley to keep his pet in his room. Granger's cat was constantly after it. Still is, as a matter of fact. And what was found of Peter? One. Single. Finger!" he enunciated. "I wonder whether Black actually managed to blast it off, or if Pettigrew did it himself," Severus growled. He swiftly returned to the map. "Where are they now?" He scanned the grounds, not seeing the children in the hut any longer. "Damn! Show me Harry!" he yelled. A red flag immediately popped up on the grounds near the willow, Sirius was running towards him, then launched over his son, going after Weasley and Pettigrew. "No!" he cried as the flag pulled the two into the tree and underground.

"That's our proof, Severus – he's been after Peter all along. But we need to get out there and get those kids out – Peter is a killer, he won't hesitate if cornered, and Sirius is in no shape to confront him!"

"Go, I'll join you momentarily, I need to let Albus know what is happening," he said, pointing towards the door as he strode quickly to the floo. Lupin took off at a run.

* * *

"Hagrid, I'm so sorry about Buckbeak!" Hermione comforted the large man.

"It's not yer fault, 'Ermione," Hagrid said, sniffing loudly. "Yeh and Draco did all yer could do with the research and all. It jus' twern't enough, not with Malfoy eggin' them on. 'Ere now, Luna, no need fer cryin'. It'll be quick-like," he said, patting the younger girl on the back as silent tears tracked down her face.

Draco put an arm around her as Hagrid began to pour out the tea. "Ah, I'm outa milk; 'Ermione, could yeh reach behind yeh and get the spare jug a' milk from the cupboard there? Now," he continued, "I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway… so, after tea – yer all teh 'ead back up to the castle."

Hermione stood up and reached down the pitcher, surprised when she heard some scrabbling inside it instead of sloshing milk. "What's this?" she asked, sitting back down at the table and tipping over the jug onto the table. "Ron! I – I don't believe it – it's Scabbers!"

Ron screamed, "Scabbers!" as the rat fell out onto the tabletop and he grabbed up his prodigal pet. Almost immediately the rat was trying to escape the teen's clutches.

"It's okay, Scabbers, no cats! There's nothing here to hurt you," he assured his familiar.

Draco let out an expletive causing the rest of the group to stare at him in wonder. He pointed out the window. "Fudge and the executioner – Dumbledore is leading them. Hey, you didn't say Macnair was the executioner!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, 'e was assigned a' the trial," Hagrid affirmed. "'E was a nasty one when 'e was in class 'ere," he commented, frowning. "Us'ta catch 'em in the rose garden pulling the wings off've Pixies." The girls gasped, and the boys just frowned.

"No wonder – he was one of my sire's associates." Draco sketched quotes in the air around the last word. Harry snorted; he understood what Drake was stating, as did Hermione, although Ron and Luna looked confused. Hagrid just glowered, darting a look out the window as the group continued nearer. "Ne'er mind that, yeh can' be 'ere. Out the back!" He hurried them to the back door of the hut as knocks came at the front door.

"Hagrid..." Draco said, concern written across his face.

"Go, Draco, yeh shouldn't see this – now go!" He pushed Draco down the steps and shut the door firmly. Luna tugged on his arm as his brother and the other two Gryffindors were slinking off to the pumpkin patch. He followed along, reluctantly, and huddled with the rest behind the jumbo sized gourds as the officials entered the hut. Deeming it safe, Hermione started back up the path, Ron following. Harry started but Draco grabbed his arm, swinging him back around to face his brother.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to free Buckbeak... he can't die because Nott is an idiot and so is Malfoy. I have to do this, Harry. Luna is going to help me." The blond girl nodded her head quickly while keeping an eye on the hut and the group of men who were barely visible through the open window.

"I can help..."

"No, you've been down here too long as it is, you're trembling now, they're too close," he pointed out. It was true; Harry was starting to feel the effect of the Dementors. Occlumency helped, as did concentrating on the love he felt for his family – but the impending execution of Buckbeak was forefront in his mind and it was hard to get past that fact. "Go," Draco urged. "Go back to the castle, we'll be up before curfew – we just need to keep him hidden until dark."

"You're sure?" Harry asked while beginning to back away.

"Positive, now go!" he said, waving his brother away while he and Luna went to hide behind the trees, waiting for a good opportunity. He watched as Harry hurried up the path, catching up with the other two who had halted for him.

* * *

The evening of Buckbeak's execution, the two animals met up at the edge of the forest and padded behind the trees to watch Hagrid's hut. Buckbeak had been a good friend to the two of them, letting them hunt around the vegetable garden on their rounds and not trying to eat them. They were upset that the ministry was insisting the Hippogriff be disposed of, and when the ministry men showed up after dinner, Paddy began muttering about showing them what a truly dangerous animal really was, but Crooks calmed him down, and they sat back behind a bit of brush to watch the coming tragedy. They felt they should at least be witnesses for their friend.

Crookshanks heard the group of children pass by and walk up to Hagrid's door and he reluctantly let them in after they quietly knocked. The cat snuck up to the hut and hopped onto a woodpile under a cracked-open window to hear what they were saying.

"… I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An yeh shouldn' be down here anyway…" Crookshanks didn't catch the rest of Hagrid's sentence as he walked out of range of the window, so he was nearly knocked off the woodpile in surprise when Hermione let out a screech.

"Ron! I – I don't believe it – it's Scabbers!"

_What? _Crookshanks stretched himself as far as he could to see in through the window and was ecstatic when he saw a turned over milk jug on the table and Ron reaching for the rodent. Crooks let a low rumble fill his chest as he eyed his nemesis and the rat must have heard as it tried to scratch his way out of Ron's hand.

"It's okay, Scabbers," the boy tried to reassure his pet. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you."

Crookshanks gave the rat one last evil eye and jumped down off the woodpile to let Paddy know of their good fortune. As he entered the forest, he saw the ministry men and Dumbledore walking down the slope to the hut.

"_Paddy, Peter is here – he was hiding in Hagrid's this whole time!"_ he murmured in joy to the shaggy dog. _"Ron has him back now. It has to be now, Sirius, we have to get him now!"_

"_I agree__;__ come on, we can waylay them on their way back to the castle where no one can see." _He led the cat up the slope and they lay behind a bush waiting for the children to pass by them again. They didn't have too long to wait as they heard the telltale footsteps walking across the meadow towards the castle. Crookshanks deliberately kept pace with them until he heard them stop and frantically began whispering to each other.

He began creeping forward, ears back, and body low to the ground, a growl pulling his lips back as he heard the squeaks of the frightened rat.

"Crookshanks," his mistress moaned when she saw him, but he ignored her pleadings for him to go away, his eye on the prize the entire time.

Soon enough, the rat managed to slip his master's grip by biting him and streak away across the grass, the Kneazle bounding after, and a moment later all three Gryffindors had joined the chase, creating an amusing scene in the darkening evening as they all raced towards the willow tree at the edge of the parkland with Ron yelling at Crookshanks to get away from Scabbers.

Ron made a daring dive into the grass and finally caught his errant pet, stuffing him back into his pocket. They all turned as a huge black dog pounded onto the scene, knocking Harry over in his exuberance to get at the rat. As Harry tried to regain his feet and scrabbled for his wand, Ron pushed him out of the way as the dog had turned and made another run, this time latching onto Ron's outstretched wand arm and dragging him toward the tree where Crookshanks had already pressed the knot to open the crack, and stopped the tree swaying.

Padfoot dragged Ron, who was doing his best to fight back, into the crack. Ron tried using his feet to stop himself from heading into the dark maw of the tree, but Paddy only pulled harder and as the tree was stronger, Ron's leg was what gave with an almighty crack and he disappeared into the opening which closed up again.

Crookshanks slunk over to be near his mistress as she picked herself up after being whomped across the middle by one of the now-swinging whips of withies. She was rubbing her abdomen, trying to get the sting out.

"Harry – we're never going to get through without help…" he heard her say.

"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry grumbled as he attempted to find a way through the branches. He thought about his Portkey – perhaps he could transfer back and get his dad – but when he reached up to feel his neck, he discovered it was gone.

"Oh, no..." he moaned.

"What?" Hermione asked, terrified.

"My Portkey – it's missing! That dog must've snapped it off when he launched off my chest! Dad is going to kill me..." he murmured to himself, vainly looking in the deep grass for a flash of metal, and being disappointed; it was just too dim to see the little charm.

"Oh, help, help, …" whispered Hermione, frantically looking around for anyone to help, eyes wide in fright. Crookshanks moved past the two teens, easing his way past the whipping willow fronds and pressed the knot again, allowing the two to tentatively approach the now opened crack and duck into it.

"What'd I tell you, Hermione," Harry snarled. "Your cat has been helping that dog all this time. But why? And why did the dog attack Ron? He's been so nice up until now."

Crooks led the way along the tunnel as Harry and Hermione followed closely, staying low to avoid the various roots that stuck through the roof at odd angles, threatening to clock them in the head.

The passage was a long one, and while it was easy for the Kneazle, the children were panting and gasping for air, grabbing at the stitches in their sides when they reached the open trap door. Crookshanks hurried through; confident they would follow soon enough, and he headed up the stairs to the bedroom where he could see Sirius had dragged Ron.

He entered the room and discovered Sirius in his human form holding Ron's wand and pointing it at the boy who was staring open-mouthed at the wild convict in front of him and keeping a firm grip on his squirming shirt pocket.

"Are they on their way up?" Sirius asked the Kneazle. Crookshanks rubbed his body along his friend's legs in answer and jumped up on the bed, settling in to watch the show and letting his purr rev up in his chest. They were finally going to expose the rat for what he really was.

The three of them did not have long to wait as they heard the approaching footsteps of the two children slowly ascend the stairs as the house creaked and swayed in the wind, letting out little moans of its own into the night air.

* * *

Draco and Luna were running further into the forest, away from Hagrid's hut and the irate Minister of Magic who was yelling at Dumbledore about the Hippogriff getting away from justice and Hagrid loudly praising the creature for being so intelligent as to know when to get away on his own. Buckbeak was following quite readily on his chain, Luna leading him along with the promise of ferrets from the string of dead ones around her neck. Draco held on to the chain until they reached an open glade where they could sit on a fallen log and catch their breath. Draco reached up to wipe the sweat from around his neck and froze. Then he began patting all along his torso, panic showing in his face.

"What's the matter, Draco?" Luna asked.

"My Portkey! Merlin, it must've gotten snagged on one of those branches! Dad is going to kill me!" he moaned into his hands. "We're out here with no safe way home in case trouble finds us! I am so dead..."

"I wouldn't worry – he can make you another one, can't he?"

"That's not the point. Just trust me; after I lost it last year he nearly had a coronary – and that was just because I pulled on the wrong pair of trousers. Now it is truly gone! I'm going to be in detention for so long..."

"Mmmm..." she murmured. "Well, we'll get back before curfew and you can tell him then. Nothing will have happened, and you'll be home safe and sound," she said, apparently unconcerned.

"I hope so, Luna, I truly hope so." He gazed over at Buckbeak who was munching on the string of ferrets as the twilight began to deepen into evening. Curfew wasn't far off.

* * *

Remus ran across the grounds, heading for the Whomping Willow. Memories of his school days flew across his brain like a perverse form of _deja vu_; Pomfrey leading him to the willow every month, the rest of the Marauders escaping with him to play in the forest, full moons shining over them and silvering the trees into a magical realm of play.

He reached the Willow and shot a stunner at the knot, stopping the branches and opening the passageway, which he hurried down. This was much easier when he was a student, he thought to himself. Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, he climbed through the open hatch in the floor and made his way quietly up the stairs, hearing the arguments floating down from above. Sirius was obviously in the main bedroom, he decided. He began hurrying faster as the voices began to escalate. He hoped Severus would arrive soon, he wasn't sure he could handle Sirius _and_ Peter on his own.

* * *

Sirius hid in the little alcove behind the door right before it opened to reveal the two teens approaching with their wands out. Ron spluttered out an explanation but it wasn't fast enough as Sirius _Expelliarmus_-edtheir wands to his hands – he really needed Harry to understand without having to defend himself from a hormonally charged teenager.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," Sirius said, grinning. "Your father would have done the same for me."

"Oh, I don't think so," Harry ground out, clearly furious. "He wouldn't save a killer!"

Crooks shook his head to himself as he heard Sirius praise Harry for coming to the aid of his friend. Harry would not take his statement the way he intended it, and sure enough the boy looked like he was ready to tear Sirius from limb to limb. Ron attempted to rise from the floor in defence of his best friend but Sirius urged him back down to get off of his leg.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all three of us!" the idiotic Gryffindor stated from his position on the dusty wood floor. Sirius looked at him with pity.

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," Sirius said, savouring the thought of finally killing the traitorous rodent.

"Why's that? Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew…" Sirius snapped his attention to his godson at that point, as did Crookshanks. The kid was definitely going off half-cocked. His voice rose as he argued with Sirius and then Hermione, ending in a shouted, "HE KILLED MY MUM AND JAMES!"

In the next instant Harry broke free of his friend's restraining hands and lunged at Sirius, forcing the older wizard's wand hand to point away from the teens and then Harry's right fist came around and slammed into Sirius's jaw, stunning him to fall back against the wall while Harry waded in, further hitting the man he mistakenly thought had ruined his life. Sirius' anger was quickly getting the best of him and in a quick moment had gotten a hand around Harry's neck, choking him.

Crookshanks sprang off the bed and paced closer to the fight, wincing as Hermione's foot connected with Sirius' side and Ron threw himself on the convict's outstretched wand hand, causing the wands to roll free. Harry attempted to make a grab for his wand but Crookshanks leapt onto his arm, all claws extended. He couldn't let Harry get hold of a wand – it would mean disaster for them all!

When Harry shook the cat off of his arm, Crooks ran for the wand. He would have had it if Harry hadn't aimed a kick to his mid-section forcing him to leap away. Harry grabbed his wand and swung it around to aim point-blank at Sirius who was still spread-eagled on the floor.

"You killed my mum and your best mate," Harry pointed out when Sirius asked if Harry was going to kill him.

"I don't deny it. But if you knew the whole story…" Sirius began.

"You sold them to Voldemort, that's all I need to know," Harry insisted, hand rock steady and his eyes flashing green at the wasted man.

"You've got to listen to me," Sirius pleaded. "You'll regret it if you don't. … You don't understand…"

Crookshanks shook himself as he watched the confrontation between the two. Ron and Hermione hadn't moved from where they had landed during the fight, staring at their friend as he faced down his godfather.

"You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me… her screams..." he shook his head to get the memory of the screams he heard when a Dementor was near out of his ears. "You did that, …" Harry was murmuring accusatorily. "You did it," he said more strongly, strengthening his grip on his wand, a determined look coming to his face.

Crookshanks decided something had to be done before Harry made a huge mistake. He ran across the room and jumped onto Sirius' chest, digging in his claws to show he wasn't moving. When Sirius told him to get off, he just turned to his friend with a look of _I don't think so! Work with me on this,_ he pleaded with his eyes, which he then turned to stare down his boy.

Harry stared at him slowly struggling internally with the decision as to whether or not he should kill both of them right there. The moments dragged on as he slowly raised his wand higher, aiming it at the spot under Crookshanks body; Sirius' heart. No one spoke, and the only sounds were Ron's laboured breathing.

Those were the only sounds, until they could hear someone climbing up the stairs. Hermione cried out where they were and that Sirius was there as well and the footsteps sped up. Sirius attempted to dislodge Crooks, but Harry threatened with his wand again and before he could let off any curse, the door crashed open revealing a panting Professor Lupin. Before anyone could move, the teacher had disarmed his student and had moved to stand near the two of them.

"Where is he, Sirius?" he panted.

Sirius slowly pointed at Ron's chest and Crookshanks followed the path with his eyes, growling as he noted that the squirming and squealing in the pocket were rising to a fever pitch.

"But why…" the professor began speaking, as if to himself as he looked between Sirius and Ron. "…unless _he_ was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?" Sirius nodded as his past colleague came to the correct conclusion. So they had been correct, Remus mused to himself, but he had wanted Sirius to verify the theory.

Harry queried his professor, but stopped mid-sentence with his jaw hanging down as he watched Lupin pull Sirius up from the floor, causing the Kneazle to fall to the floor, and embrace him as a long lost brother.

All hell broke loose as Hermione whirled on her professor, apparently coming to some conclusion that Remus tried to dissuade her of.

Hermione stamped her foot in anger as she turned to Harry. "NO! Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too – _he's a werewolf!_" she accused as she stared back at Lupin.

"Only one out of three, I'm afraid," he gently pointed out to her. "I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle, and I certainly don't want Harry dead… but I won't deny I am a werewolf."

Harry narrowed his eyes as he gazed on the mild-mannered professor. Now he knew what those vibes had been, and why he'd been so reluctant to be around the man for the last two years. He wasn't prejudiced about Werewolves, he and Draco had come to their own conclusions last summer about those that had been bitten. But right now, he wasn't too sure how he felt about the professor – he felt very confused, conflicted and a bit betrayed.

Ron backed away, or at least tried to and failed which caught Remus' attention. But when he turned to help, Ron spat out, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

Remus turned back to Hermione instead, quizzing her on when she had figured it out, and praising her on her cleverness at figuring out what none of the other children had deduced after being assigned Snape's essay on werewolves at the beginning of the year.

Sirius finally moved over to the bed as Harry attempted to shout down his professor again. Crookshanks landed beside him and crawled into his friend's lap, purring madly. He could feel Paddy's contentment at all of the truth finally clearing the air; and soon the ultimate truth would be revealed to Harry and Remus. They watched as Remus returned the wands to the children and began the explanation to Harry of what Remus had seen on the map that evening.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Remus said while pacing in front of the teens. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning, but your father and I began to question everything. How could he be with you? It was then that I remembered you had a pet rat, Ron, and Severus remembered that the rat was missing a toe. And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labelled _Sirius Black_ … I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow…"

"Father...?" Sirius murmured to himself, but no one heard him.

"One of us!" Ron protested loudly.

"No, Ron, two of you." He stopped in front of Ron. "Do you think I could have a look at the rat?"

Ron eyed him warily, but eventually pulled Scabbers from his pocket. Crookshanks stood up from his spot on Sirius' lap, hissing as the rat was brought to light.

"What's my rat got to do with anything?" Ron said, his fright showing through.

"That's not a rat." Sirius pointed out helpfully, although his mind was still on the tale Lupin had told. Referring to Snape as Harry's father?

"…of course he's a rat!" Ron protested, valiantly holding onto the wriggling rodent.

"No, he's not. He's a wizard." Lupin stated.

"An Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew," spat Sirius.

Once again, after a beat of time for the children to take in this information, voices raised in incredulity at this statement.

"Peter Pettigrew's _dead_!" Harry pointed out. "_He_ killed him twelve years ago!" he shoved a finger in Sirius' direction where he sat on the bed.

"I meant to," Sirius growled, back on track with the conversation "but little Peter got the better of me… not this time, though!" He made a grab for Scabbers, knocking Crookshanks off of his lap and kneeling on Ron's bad leg, causing him to howl in pain as he attempted to hold Scabbers out of the way of the maniac.

Lupin grabbed his friend, chastising him and reminding him that he couldn't kill Peter yet, without explaining to Harry. Sirius chomped at the bit, wanting to kill the rodent now, but Lupin pleaded with him.

"They've – got – a – right – to – know – everything!" the teacher said, clearly out of breath from restraining his still powerful friend. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are some parts of it even I don't understand," he said to his friend's face. "You owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Ron still tried to insist that his rat was just a rat, and Harry chimed in with the fact that there were witnesses to the fight between Sirius and Peter all those years ago. Hermione tried to state that if Peter were an Animagus, he would have been in the registry.

Sirius was clearly growing impatient. He wanted this over with now, but Lupin insisted that the story be told. So, the Animagus sat back down on the bed, with Crookshanks settling in beside him as Lupin told the tale of how the Marauders had learned to become Animagi to accompany him during his transformations and make it easier for him. Sirius carolled in periodically with salient points.

He explained all the way to their fifth year when Sirius pulled the trick on Snape, nearly getting him killed by exposing him to Remus in werewolf form when Professor Snape himself strolled into the room.

No one had heard him come up the stairs and he had hidden behind the door, listening to the explanations being given to his son and his friends. He felt it was time to wrap-up this droll piece of entertainment and trip down memory lane.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: What? You thought I'd leave you hanging there? Well, maybe... I am a Slytherin at heart... . But no, I'm usually not that cruel. So, here is the rest of the Shrieking Shack scene. Again, if it sounds like JKR wrote the dialogue, she probably did. I only tweaked the scene and dialogue to fit my version. And no, you still aren't going to get the FULL confrontation scene between Snuffles and Sev. Next chappie - I promise. I should say this now, if anyone wants to read the original Kneazle tale version of PoA, told entirely from Crooks POV - without being integrated into this Severitus version of it, you can find it on my author's page under "The Kneazle Chronicles" It's relatively short**. **You can see where I changed things between the two versions. **

**16.**

"Dad!" Harry cried, running to his father's side. Snape gave him a quick, one-armed hug, keeping his wand trained on Black. Ron and Hermione also greeted him; relieved he was there – someone they knew they could trust. Lupin heaved a sigh, thankful the wizard had finally been able to join him.

Sirius was incredulous though, looking at Harry as if he'd grown two heads. Crooks was growling at him as his temper began to mount.

"Dad? _Dad!_ Harry, this is NOT your father! James is your father!" he yelled.

Harry turned to face the convict. "No, he wasn't – Severus is my father, he was mum's first husband and my real father," he said icily.

Sirius turned to Remus, heartbreak written on his face. "This can't be true," he pleaded.

"It is, Sirius. Trust me, it is true. We discovered it two summers ago – or rather they discovered it. I knew, but I was under a vow not to reveal it until Harry turned twelve. Look, Sirius, we can hash this over some other time, we need to show Harry that what we've been saying is true!"

But Sirius wouldn't leave it be. "NO, I'm his godfather! He should be with me! Not him, not Snivellus!"

Severus raised his wand higher, aiming for Sirius' heart. "So help me, Black, what you've been told is the truth! Harry is my son with Lily, you flea-bitten mongrel!"

"Severus, please, this isn't helping..." Remus begged, trying to calm the man down. "Peter, we must expose Peter!" he reminded both of the rivals of the goal.

Severus glowered at the other professor. "Do it, then. We don't have time for this idiocy!" his eyes flashed ebony at the other grown wizard in the room, raising an eyebrow to indicate he thought the man was the source of the idiocy in question.

Remus walked over to Ron, holding out his hand for the rat but Ron still wasn't convinced.

"Say Pettigrew could turn into a rat," the boy pointed out. "How's he," he indicated Sirius, "supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?" he said to the room in general, but looking at Sirius.

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question. How did you find out where he was?" Remus asked as Severus sighed in frustration.

Sirius pulled the old clipping from the previous years _Prophet_ out of his robes that showed Ron in Egypt with the rat perched on his shoulder, clearly missing a toe and handed it to Remus.

"Of course, so simple… so _brilliant_ … he cut it off himself?" Lupin asked Sirius. "We speculated maybe you had cut it off." He passed the clipping to Severus who glanced at it before pocketing the evidence.

Sirius nodded. "He did it just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself – and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…"

Crookshanks gave a low growl as he eyed the rat trembling in Ron's hands. He was looking forward to Wormy being exposed for who he was. His ears came forward, though, when he heard the boy accusing _him_ of scaring the rat.

Sirius turned to his friend and petted him. Crookshanks leaned into the stroke, closing his eyes in contentment, and purring loudly. "This cat isn't mad. He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met… You probably don't remember, Harry, but this was your mum's cat, Pyewackit. He's known that rat was Peter all along. Remember Remus, he used to lie in wait whenever Peter would come by? One time he waited on the mantel until Wormy flooed through and launched himself at him." He chuckled as he gazed down at the Kneazle, praising him some more to the stunned room. Crookshanks basked in the glow of the acknowledgement of his sheer brilliance.

Lupin look dumbfounded down at the orange half-Kneazle. "Of course, this explains quite a lot..." he mused.

Harry looked at the Kneazle with new respect. A cat? He'd had a cat when he'd been a baby? Well, this explained why Crooskshanks was constantly bouncing between him and Hermione. He looked over at her and shrugged as if to say, _Sorry, I didn't know._ She smiled at him and quickly returned her attention to the adults who seemed to have come to some kind of truce. At least Professor Snape seemed a little less tense.

"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it…" Sirius was explaining to the students and the two other adults. "… Peter had left blood on the sheets… I suppose he bit himself… Well, faking his own death had worked once…"

Harry jumped on this, still convinced that Sirius was the one to blame for the broken charm on his home. Remus tried to explain that it was the other way around, but Harry didn't listen – letting his anger fuel his words.

"HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!" Severus laid a strong restraining hand on his son, shaking his head at the child and giving the boy a little shake to remind him who was in charge.

"Harry, hear him out," he ordered.

"But, Dad..." his son's voice squeaked.

"Listen!" he snapped. Lord, he hated hormonally-driven teens, and Harry would pick now to head into puberty. Harry didn't calm down, but he did shut up, recognising he had pushed his father to the brink and allowing the older wizard to explain.

Sirius was trembling and his voice broke as he explained to Harry. "… I as _good_ as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as a Secret-Keeper instead of me. … I'm to blame, I know it. …The night they died…" He choked as he explained that horrible night to his godson, telling him how he had found their bodies in the ruined house, and his sense of overwhelming guilt that he had been the one to convince them to use Wormtail in his place. Harry felt his anger drain from him in face of the overwhelming truth of what the man was saying to him. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to bury his face in his father's robes. Severus enfolded his son, comforting him. After a moment, still snuffling, Harry turned out to look upon the convict.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

Sirius watched the two interact – like a father and son – disbelief still on his face. He could see Severus whispering in Harry's ear after Harry's apology; put his hand on the back of the boy's neck as he looked him in the face. Harry nodded after wiping his face and nose on his sleeve before stepping away. Severus gave a nod to Lupin and Remus walked over to where Ron lay on the floor, Severus and Sirius following closely.

"Enough of this, there's one certain way to prove what really happened," Lupin stated quite firmly. "Ron, _give me that rat."_

Ron obeyed his teacher, albeit reluctantly, and handed the thrashing animal over to the professor. Sirius snatched the wand from Ron, giving him a congratulatory pat for finally behaving, and then Sirius, Severus and Lupin levelled their wands on the squealing animal and after a count of three, let loose with the spell that forced the Animagus to reveal himself in his human form.

The children watched, stunned, as the rat quickly grew and transformed into a trembling little man, who looked all around him with rheumy eyes. Crookshanks reared back on the bed, bottlebrush tail puffed out, ears laid back against his skull, and the fiercest expression of hate on his face as he hissed and spat at the revealed traitor.

He wasn't much to look at – having lost a lot of weight since he had betrayed all his friends – he was dirty and balding, his clothes hanging off his withered frame, with a distinctly ratty look to his features; besides the red rimmed eyes, he had a sharp nose that twitched and not much of a chin under a severe overbite. His Animagus form, and his marauder nickname, fit him quite well.

Crookshanks settled himself back down on the bed, fur still on end; keeping an eye at all times on the man as he attempted to plead to Lupin and Sirius that he hadn't betrayed the Potters, petitioning to Harry and Ron that he really was a good man. Hadn't he been a good pet? How could he be bad when he had lived in their dorm all this time and not done anything to Harry? He cringed away from Severus, trying to pin the blame on him when his accusation of Sirius didn't quite pan out as he would've liked it to.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," Sirius finally accused after watching the little man scramble across the floor from one person to another trying to gain their protection, and their pity, to no avail. "Do you deny it?" he spat.

Faced with the overwhelming evidence of his betrayal, Peter Pettigrew burst into tears, bawling his eyes at as he cowered on the floor.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… he has weapons you can't imagine… Severus, tell him! You know what he was like!" Severus just growled and Pettigrew turned back to the Marauders, hoping for more leniency. "I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. … He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me…"

Severus snapped. "DON'T LIE! YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND POTTER DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!" Severus blasted his wrath into the rat's face. "There was talk amongst the circle for over a year that someone was in with the Potters and was passing information to the Dark Lord; but no one ever saw this traitor. The Dark Lord kept him hidden, away from us all. You had been planning this for a year! I'm sure you were so pleased when Black changed the plans, weren't you?

"Well, because of you – you cowering piece of dragon dung, my wife was murdered by that piece of filth and my son was sent to an abusive home! So, DON'T LIE TO ME!" Spittle flew from the irate man's mouth to land on Peter's face. Crooks cringed a bit at the evidence of the former death eater's anger, as did the children, Harry hanging onto his father's arm this time around, trying to calm him down. Lupin, however, did not move from where he steadfastly stood with his wand held firmly on the coward. Sirius looked at Severus with a touch more respect. Perhaps what he said might be true if he was reacting this way. But what was this about an abusive home? His attention was dragged back to the coward on his knees in front of him.

"You don't understand! He would have killed me!" he whinged to the dark man. "Sirius, please believe me!" he begged, turning back to the convict.

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED," bellowed Sirius, his face reddening in the rising moonlight filtering through the clapboards. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS. AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" He raised his wand to join it to Lupin's, the killing curse on the tip of his tongue.

But when Remus and Sirius would have killed their former friend, Harry stopped them. Severus groaned and Crookshanks sank back in frustration from the expectant pose he had assumed when he thought he would finally get to see the rodent get his due. He'd even been licking his whiskers in anticipation!

"_Harry,_" Sirius explained through clenched teeth, "this piece of vermin is the _reason_ you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"Sirius, get it through your head; I have a parent – one I love, and he is right here," he indicated, leaning into Severus' side for a moment of comfort. "But I do know what you mean. What he has done is horrible. But the only way we can prove _your_ innocence is with him alive and talking." Black looked contemplative at that, but finally shrugged and sighed in agreement. "We'll take him up to the castle," Harry decided, standing up straight and taking a step forward to stand in front of the condemned traitor. "We'll hand him over to the Dementors. …He can go to Azkaban… but don't kill him," Harry stated, giving a disgusted look at the man on the dusty floor.

Crookshanks cringed as Peter grovelled at Harry's feet, but was satisfied when Harry pulled away from the man's grabbing hands and retreated to stand beside his father again.

"I'm not doing this for you," Harry declared, disgust clear on his face. "I'm doing it because – I don't reckon James would've wanted them to become killers – just for you."

Harry moved out of the way as Lupin used a vine spell that caused tough greenery to spring from his wand, trussing the traitor up like the pig he had become.

Sirius kept Ron's wand trained on Peter as Remus splinted Ron's broken leg and helped the boy up. Ron wanly gave his thanks and limped over to become one of the two guards attached to his former pet. Lupin joined him and Severus conjured some chains that linked Lupin and Ron to Peter. Severus and Sirius stayed well out of each other's way, Severus leading the way with Harry and Sirius bringing up the rear with Hermione after returning Ron's wand to him. They may have declared an uneasy truce for Harry's sake, but that didn't mean they had to like each other.

Crookshanks, seeing that everyone was ready to go, jumped lightly off the bed and with his tail high in the air, like a majorette's baton, led the motley crew back down the creaking stairs and into the tunnel. He snickered to himself as he heard Pettigrew's head bump repeatedly into the knobbly ceiling, scattering dirt clods and hitting exposed roots as they moved their way slowly along the twisty path.

Eventually they made their way to the exit through the Whomping Willow and Crookshanks opened the way, prancing delightedly out into the clean fresh air of the summer evening.

The group made their way slowly across the silvering grounds towards the castle, clouds scudding across the sky and casting dark flowing shadows across the parkland. A huge dark cloud finally pulled away from the moon, and its brilliant visage brightened up the landscape and caused Lupin to bring the group to a halt as he stared, wide-eyed and terrified at the one mistress who ruled his life.

Severus whirled around and stared at Remus, realising that they had left the dungeons without him taking his Wolfsbane potion. Cursing both of their foolishness, he pushed Harry behind him, grabbing Hermione and shoving her towards his son and standing in front of them as he witnessed the one magical transformation that had always scared him witless.

Crookshanks, suddenly aware that something was wrong behind him, turned around and saw a frightful sight. Remus' whole body began to shake as Sirius pleaded with Harry, Hermione and Severus to run. As Lupin began to undergo the fearful and terrible transformation from man to werewolf, Crookshanks backed up, so frightened he didn't make a sound. Suddenly, the werewolf finished his transformation and in a feat of inhuman strength, snarled and howled as he broke free from the shackles that had connected him to Peter, Ron screaming in terror as he tried to back away – hampered by his attachment to Pettigrew.

Sirius melted into his Animagus form and leapt to drag Remus away from the children and Snape by his neck. Everyone was watching the snarling animals that were locked jaw to jaw, ripping and tearing at each other as Remus smelled the fresh humans nearby, bloodlust coursing through his body urging him to turn them into new werewolves, or ravage their bodies until death – whichever happened first. Sirius used all the strength in his huge canine body to wrestle his friend away from the innocents.

Thus, no one paid attention as Pettigrew made a bid for freedom. No one except the half-Kneazle who had been keeping an eye on him all year. Crookshanks began to run back towards the frightened group, as Peter dived for Lupin's fallen wand, Ron dropped to the ground, his splinted leg unable to hold him up any longer, and Hermione screamed, totally giving in to the terror of the entire night. But before he could complete his leap for Peter's hand, the traitor had stunned Ron, cast a protego against a spell from Snape and then turned the wand on Crookshanks himself, grinning in self-satisfied vengeance as he stunned the Kneazle. Crooks snarled as the spell rushed towards him, and blackness took over as he fell to the ground in an unconscious heap of orange fur.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Draco asked Luna. "It sounded like a wolf..." He looked up at the sky and his eyes became as huge as saucers when he realised the bright moon hanging overhead was full. "Oh, Merlin... Luna, we have to get out of here! Werewolf, Luna, Werewolf!" He screamed, grabbing her hand and running through the forest, Buckbeak trailing after them. They had already removed his chain as they were just about to set him free, but then they had heard the howls. He liked these humans, they had been polite and fed him delicious ferrets... he wasn't going to let them out of his sight.

"Draco – we don't know where we're going," the girl tried to get his attention, but he wasn't listening, he was panicking. They continued running through the forest in what Draco hoped was the general direction of the castle. He let out a cry, though, when the ground gave way beneath them and they were thrown down an embankment to land on their knees and hands next to a man who appeared to be fighting for his life.

Draco panted as he gazed on the person who looked vaguely familiar, watching his breath fog the air... fog the air... he looked up to see a cloud of Dementors swirling above them, and screamed as one came near, its terrible mouth open and pulling at his memories. When it broke off, he scrambled for his wand with his chilled hands. What was that charm he'd heard his brother practicing? He was trying to get a... Patronus... That was it! He raised his wand, gathering Luna closer to him with his other arm, protectively, and yelled "_Expecto Patronum_!" But only a little spurt of white vapour emerged from his wand. He fell next to the man, pulling Luna down with him as another Dementor came near, dragging him into unconsciousness. But not before he saw a white light erupt, lighting up the entire lake edge and exploding amidst the Dementors. He smiled as his head hit the cold, wet gravel.

* * *

"Sirius!" Harry yelled, breaking free from his father's iron grip and running after the Animagus. He could hear the man tumbling down the side of the hill. The werewolf, smelling something else in the trees, took off for the forest. He could hear his dad yelling for him, but he didn't pay him any heed. He knew his new-found godfather was hurt, he could hear the dog whinging as it crashed down the hill.

He tried to follow, but got hopelessly confused in the night, a cloud having covered up the full moon again. He yelled for Sirius as he heard Hermione and Snape yell his own name in desperation.

As he wandered around, he felt the air get chillier then he heard a scream. It had sounded oddly like Draco! He took off in the direction he had heard it, glancing up at the night sky, seeing dark shapes swirling above and heading towards the edge of the lake that lay right up against the forest. He fought his way through the underbrush to find himself on a spit of land. He looked across the frozen water to a small beach where he could see Sirius, Draco and Luna. He watched as Draco attempted a Patronus and failed.

He couldn't lose his brother, he just couldn't! As another Dementor started to make a pass at the three, Harry summoned all his love, all his happiness in his family, his friends, his newly discovered godfather who wasn't a traitor, and felt his heart give an almighty heave as he screamed the charm that summoned his panther Patronus.

A large white cat leapt from his wand, getting bigger and bigger as it took on the dozens of creatures that hovered over the lake, running in tighter and tighter circles around the three fallen humans – shielding them. The shield the Patronus was making finally exploded upwards and the dark creatures streaked away screaming into the night.

Harry watched, tears streaming down his face, as the panther stayed near the three until Severus showed up, Dumbledore accompanying him, and they conjured three stretchers. Dumbledore looked over at Harry for a moment before levitating the stretchers before him as he headed up towards the castle. Severus looked across to where his son stood, heaving in great gulps of air.

"Move!" his father commanded, sternly. Harry obeyed for a moment, then the enormity of what he had done hit him, as well as the residual darkness from so many Dementors, and the physical exhaustion of the night's excitements and he passed out where he stood, hearing his _father's_ screams in his ears this time. He smiled as he hit the dirt.

* * *

**Next Chapter: This will be the second of my shorts that I've integrated into this story. If you know my works, see if you can guess, before I post, which it will be. As TKC was changed though, so will this. Zara.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So nobody guessed... This chapter is based on my oneshot, The Apology, which is based on a prompt from Snapegirl. Hey, girlfriend, I hope you like the reworking. Like I said at the beginning - it just fit in to the whole scheme of things. This is the penultimate chapter; enjoy.**

**17.**

Crookshanks awoke in the infirmary, stretched out next to his mistress who was sound asleep – the air whistling slightly as she breathed through the tiny opening between her lips. He rolled over and assumed a seated position looking around at the three boys who were also sound asleep, snores periodically breaking the peaceful quiet of the early morning. He blinked for a few moments in the morning light streaming through the high windows, thinking about playing with the dancing motes of dust he could see sparkling... But really, his fur needed a really good wash, especially after all the excitement of the night before – and then being blasted by that confounded rat! He laid into his back fur with his raspy tongue, taming it into submission, possibly a little rougher than normal.

His rising apparently had signalled some alarm in the Medi-witches office as she came briskly out onto the ward, starched white apron and cap firmly in place, just as he had begun his morning ablutions.

"Oh, it's you!" she whispered as she noticed him. "Well, I see you are suffering no ill effects from your escapades last night," she harumpfed her way over to Hermione's bed, taking a wand reading as she approached.

"Yes, I can safely say you are completely recovered; stunning a cat – good thing you're part Kneazle, otherwise you'd be in a world of hurt this morning! Now, can I interest you in some breakfast? Perhaps a nice kipper and some cold water? Ah, that got your interest, didn't it," she said as his ears perked up at the offer and he stopped in mid-wash to eye her with adoration.

"Well, come along then, let's let these students get a little bit more sleep, shall we?" She chivvied him off the hospital bed and led him into her office where she conjured a plate, placed a bit of leftover fish onto it for him then placed a cup on the floor, filling it with ice-cold water from her wand. He dug into the repast with relish, periodically licking bits off of his whiskers.

* * *

Harry awoke to the sounds of someone bustling about his bed. He kept his eyes closed and just took in the sounds, trying to identify where he was using his other senses. He had gotten pretty good at this during his blind sparring sessions with Draco and his dad. He concentrated on the smells, sounds and the feel of the things.

The antiseptic smell, the feel of the narrow bed, the way the echoes of the rustlings bounced and reflected off the walls indicated a large open room - this all told him he was in the infirmary and that he was in his favourite bed. When he deemed it was safe, he opened his eyes and felt around the night table for his frames. Shoving them on his face after a successful search, he glanced around to see if he could determine what had happened.

Draco was asleep in the cot next to his, Onyx asleep above his head on the pillow, one paw draped delicately over his master's forehead. His own cobra snake, Silicia, was hissing in her sleep, forked tongue slipping in and out periodically. Someone had placed her in a little warm box on his night stand and he let her be for now. Luna was curled up in her cocoon of blankets beyond Draco, chest rising up and down steadily.

Ron was still asleep, broken leg propped up on some pillows and drool pooling on his pillowcase. Hermione was still out of it, too, Crookshanks sitting at the end of her bed, doing a wash-up. The cat looked up, blinked at him for a moment before resuming his ablutions.

And on the floor, beside his own bed, lay a huge black dog; a feeding and water bowl combo standing nearby.

Across the aisle, Professor Lupin lay, covered in bandages and rows of bottles on the stand at the end of his bed. Harry could recognise Skelegrow, blood replenisher, bruise balm, and scar reducer; but those were just the few he could identify.

Harry flopped back on his pillows; had last night been a dream? Apparently not, as here they all were – all the participants except one. And if Trelawney's prediction were to be believed, he was on his way back to his master: Voldemort. He shuddered at the thought; that rat knew entirely too much... He knew of Severus' defection, his adoption of Draco and Harry's true parentage – he'd, of course, always known Sirius was not guilty of the Potter's murders. But, he reflected, Voldemort most likely already knew the last bit – it had been Wormtail who had let him in that Hollowe'en night... and he was sure that Lucius Malfoy would not waste time in relaying the fact of the adoption or of Harry's relation to Severus as soon as Voldemort returned, nor for that matter, Severus' defection. No, it was time to ramp up the defences and he was sure his dad was already making plans to that effect.

"Ah, Mr Snape, you're awake!" He sighed as he heard the matron come over to him, several potions bottles in her hands. "Time for your potions, young man; fighting Dementors – what were you thinking?" she admonished while a snicker from the bed behind her caused Harry to send his brother a pointed glare.

"And don't think I've forgotten about _you_, Draco," she added in a sharp tone over her shoulder.

* * *

Snape billowed into the infirmary, intent upon getting to his sons' bedsides. He had been making potions all night long for the Dementor victims, and he'd had no sleep for two solid days. But Albus had flooed him with the news that the children were finally all awake and Harry and Draco were asking for him. He was brought up short, however, at the sight of Sirius Black, in dog form, curled up on the end of Harry's bed.

"Black! What are you doing here?" Without even realising it, Severus had his wand trained on the fugitive. Lupin and Poppy gasped, moving away, and he shrugged off Albus' hand when the old man tried to placate him, focusing on the mangy dog in front of him, tongue lolling in a doggy grin: his childhood tormentor. His anger simmered slowly beneath the surface; he hated Black more than he had ever hated Potter, when it came right down to it, and putting his sons in danger the previous night had not added anything to the positive side of the ledger. He mentally gave the mutt one small tick for wrestling with the Werewolf and leading him away from the teens, but that was outweighed by Harry and Draco fighting with the Dementors on the idiot's behalf. Any sympathy he had felt for the wronged man last night had dissipated in the face of his sons' danger. Really, he should have known better; the man was a walking disaster area.

He turned to Albus. "I thought he had left already. Why is he still here? He's a danger to my sons! Both of them nearly died last night because of him! Because of the Dementors insane need to suck out his soul, whether or not he is guilty!" he demanded.

Sirius made as if to lunge at Snape, but Lupin grabbed him, hauling him back by the scruff of his neck and Harry yelled, "NO, SIRIUS! DON'T! He's my father! Remember we explained this to you last night in the shack?" he demanded.

Sirius Black transformed back into a human and turned an anguished face to his godson, shrugging off Remus' hands. "Your father? Harry, I just don't understand, James is your father. I saw you the day you were born, you looked just like James! Remus, you said you would explain..." he pleaded with his friend.

Now that Sirius really studied Harry, he realised that Harry really did look like Snape, now. He shook his head, he was too confused. "It's a glamour, right? That's why you look like Snivellus? You're just trying to emulate him because he's helped you out the last couple of years. I can understand that, you're grateful; but you don't need him anymore, Harrykins, you've got me! I'm your godfather, it's my job - my duty - to take care of you now that your parents aren't here," he explained, setting a hand on Harry's knee.

But Harry shrugged it off, drawing his knees up to his chest and shaking his head as he pulled away from the older wizard. Sirius looked hurt as he bounced his eyes between Harry and Remus; Snape looked like he was ready to rip Sirius' head off.

"Black, get it through your head – Harry is MY SON!"

Shooting a calming look at Severus, Remus went to stand between the two rivals. "I'm going to tell you this once, Sirius, and I expect you to listen, understand and accept. Do you hear me?" he insisted, laying both hands on the scraggly man's shoulders. Sirius looked at Harry, then at his best friend and finally nodded.

"Good, I'm going to give you the digest version of this, alright? If you have any questions, you may ask them later when tensions aren't so high. Severus and Lily were married right out of school; secretly. I was the only witness. Severus was spying on Voldemort for Dumbledore. When it became obvious that Lily was in too much danger, he persuaded her to go live with James and marry him. She did so, but she was already pregnant with Harry. She never told Severus that the baby was his, nor did she tell James he wasn't the father and she glamoured Harry to look like James. Again, I was the only one who knew the truth and she bound me to a vow of silence until Harry had turned twelve. That was when the charm was due to end and Harry would begin to look like his true father: Severus.

"Two summers ago, Severus was sent to check on Harry and found him in an abused state, near death, in the Dursley home. **Calm down**," he placated as Sirius began to growl. "They've been dealt with severely."

"Are they alive?" the Animagus growled.

"Petunia and Dudley are, Vernon was veiled after the trial and Petunia will be in ten years," Remus explained.

"Not soon enough," the man spat.

"On that, Black, we certainly agree," Severus murmured under his breath, but everyone still heard him in the silent room. Sirius raised his eyebrows, but that was his only reaction.

"Sirius, dad has helped me a lot these last two years," Harry insisted, forcing his godfather to look at him.

"How, Harry? How has Sniv… Snape helped you?" Sirius pleaded.

"Don't call him that, Sirius – please don't call him that around me. He loves me, Sirius. He took care of me, watched over me, and got me free of the Dursleys. I am his real son, and he is my true father. Draco is my brother in all but blood. They are my family." He felt that the only way to get through to the man was in short, precise statements. "I would like to have you included in that as I would like to get to know you – the real you, not the false image the media has built up over the last twelve years; Professor Lupin as well, despite his problem - but not if you are going to berate them to my face. I know you are my godfather, I understand that – but you haven't been around and they have. My loyalty and love is to them," he proudly declared.

"Harry, they're Slytherins; you can't trust Slytherins!" Desperation was clear on Sirius' face, he obviously didn't want to believe what he was hearing and was trying anything to make it not so.

"Really," Harry deadpanned. "Seems to me you were just saved by those Slytherins," he pointed out, looking just like Severus at his most sarcastic. Black bit back a shocked gasp and had the grace to look ashamed. "I don't care what happened before, Sirius, but this is my family. If you want to accept me, you have to accept them. We're a package deal."

Severus had stayed silent during this exchange, but he never lowered his wand. What Harry was telling the mutt was true, however. Severus had willingly taken on the guardianship of the boy before he had ever discovered their familial heritage, and he wasn't going to stand here and listen to Black belittle him, or his sons, about it. Dumbledore stepped forward to place himself between the two men, raising his hands in a calming manner.

"Gentlemen, I must point out that we are all on the same side here. Voldemort will surely rise again; soon, now that Pettigrew has escaped – Mr Weasley has related to me what Professor Trelawney prophesied yesterday and it was a true sending, her second, I believe." Severus flinched inwardly as he remembered what had occurred due to her first prophecy. "We need to pull together," Albus continued, "and work as a team to minimise his damage. I need you two to work together. Such dissonance amongst our ranks only works to his advantage!" he chastised.

Severus kept his wand and eyes fastened on Black. "I will only work with him, Headmaster, if he apologises to me for the torment he caused me. For attempting to _murder_ me," he ground out.

Black snorted at that, causing Severus to tighten the hold on his wand. Harry looked between the two men and sighed. He threw back his covers and slipped out of bed, causing Madam Pomfrey to throw fits. He ignored her, however, in order to grab Sirius and drag him away from his father.

"Sirius, please; you have to apologise. Please, apologise – for my sake? You know what you did was wrong; I heard it all from Dad and Professor Lupin. Dad told me some last summer and, remember, you and the professor told me some in the shack?" Sirius' eyes had begun to go soft around the edges as his godson pleaded with him; his encounter with the Dementors had torn through his memories and it was hard to focus on what had been said the previous evening. So much had happened.

"You don't understand, Harry. He was a Snake back then! Always sneaking around; following us. All I did was pull a prank to teach him a lesson."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No, Sirius, what my friends Fred and George do are pranks. They aren't meant to harm permanently. What you did with the Shrieking Shack during your sixth year was premeditated murder! You meant for Remus to kill Severus, or at least bite him. Admit it!"

A gamut of emotions played clearly across his godfather's face as Harry waited for his answer. Severus lowered his wand to his side, but it was clear he was just waiting for an excuse to hex Black. Finally Sirius gave in. "Fine, I wanted him to die." Remus groaned out loud, sitting down heavily onto Draco's bed, narrowly missing the boy's legs.

"Sirius, how could you? You assured me it was a prank gone wrong! I think I'm going to be sick!" he said, grabbing his stomach and turning green. Poppy summoned an anti-nausea potion and helped the man down it quickly. "You know how I feel about my lycanthropy – you know I never want to hurt anyone with it!" He turned away from his friend, hurt and betrayed by the confession.

"You see? Now apologise to _both_ of them for it," Harry prompted. "Please, Sirius? I would like to have you both in my life as much as possible and that won't happen if you don't apologise. Because, I promise you, if it came down to a choice – I would _not_ choose you." He turned on his last, greatest weapon - according to Severus: he fixed Sirius with his 'whipped puppy-dog' face. Per Severus, no one was immune to it. In fact, Severus used it as his proof that Harry should have let the hat prevail when it declared Harry suitable for Slytherin.

And Sirius wasn't going to be the first to stand firm. His resolve melted into pools of liquid butter as his godson turned on his charm. He gave one last pleading look to Harry, which clearly had 'Do I _have_ to?' written all over it, straightened his spine and walked towards Snape, stopping a few feet away from his adversary, but did not extend his hand. What Harry had said, hurt. And he knew, deep down, that he was wrong. So, he sucked it up and faced his demons; or, rather one demon in the guise of the dungeon bat, Severus Snape.

Severus' wand hand twitched a bit as the cur approached him, but he didn't raise his wand again, yet.

"Snape, I wish to apologise for the way I treated you in school, and after," Sirius began formally. "I especially wish to ask your forgiveness for when I led you to the Shack. It was inexcusable of me, and I can understand if you never want to talk to me again, except that if I want to see Harry, I guess I will have to go through you now. And," he snuck a look at Dumbledore who was standing, beaming at him, next to Snape, "and I suppose if we must work together in the Order, it would help if we could get along."

Severus stood there, stony-faced, as he considered Black's apology. As far as apologies went, it wasn't a bad one. He really didn't want to accept it, but he was the one who _had_ asked for it in the first place.

He snuck a look at his son, who had been chivvied back to bed by Poppy. Harry looked exhausted from his brush with all his near-death experiences the previous evening.

Harry looked back at him, his wish clear in his eyes. He wanted these two men to declare a truce; for his sake as well as that of the world at large; he wanted to get to know this link with his past. How could Severus resist that plea? He couldn't. His wand hand relaxed as he finally nodded in Black's direction.

"I shall accept your apology, Black. Now, if you don't mind, I need to see to both of my sons and make sure there are no lasting effects of their brush with the Dementors last evening; they have an unfortunate tendency to render Harry unconscious, despite his ability to raise a spectacular Patronus." He raised an eyebrow; daring Sirius to naysay him, but the man – after a moment's hesitation – moved out of Severus' way and let him approach the bed. Sirius then knelt in front of Remus and in a low voice, murmured an apology to his best friend. Remus finally looked up, tears in his eyes, but he nodded his acceptance and Sirius bounced up onto his feet.

"I'll just take off then," Sirius said to Harry. "With Wormy loose, I'm still a fugitive. I expect Albus wants me to go back into hiding for awhile?" He directed his question to the headmaster standing nearby.

"Thank you, Sirius, that would be helpful. I believe you will find a very friendly Hippogriff in the forest glade where you and this delightful Kneazle used to meet," Dumbledore stated, petting and scratching Crookshanks who was perched at the end of Hermione's bed, purring loudly. "We have the need of getting him away from the castle for a spell, so if you would be so kind as to take him abroad for awhile?" Sirius nodded his head in acknowledgement of his orders and turned back to his godson.

"Take care, Harry." He aimed a glance in Snape's direction, who was hovering on the other side of the bed. "If your family gives you any grief, you know how to find me… But I think they have everything well in hand." He laid his own hand on Harry's shoulder, but before he could release his grip, Harry had grasped it.

"Thanks, Sirius. That meant a lot to me, and…" he lowered his voice to a whisper, so that Sirius had to lean in to catch his next words, "and I think it meant a lot to them as well," the boy confided. A snort was heard coming from the other side of the bed as Severus measured out several different potions he wanted Harry to take. Godfather and godson smirked at each other in shared amusement before Sirius melted down into his huge black dog form, gave a bark of goodbye to the room as a whole and left the ward, only stopping once to bump noses with Crookshanks in farewell.

Harry turned as Severus sat on the edge of his bed and handed him the first of a long line of potions. "I suppose," the older man drawled, "that you are going to insist on seeing your dogfather on a regular basis?"

Harry started to shrug his shoulders, but gave it up as a bad cause; it hurt too much now that he was starting to come down from all the excitement. He was beginning to ache in places he had no remembrance of even injuring. All that running, fighting and falling on the ground would do that, he guessed. "I'd like to see him more often, yeah. If you don't mind?" He ignored the 'dogfather' comment; he knew where to pick his fights, and if truth be told, he thought it was a bit humorous.

Severus twisted his lips. "And if I do mind?"

Harry looked panicked for a moment. "You wouldn't actually forbid me from seeing him, would you?"

Severus let him hang for a moment before relieving his mind, watching as Harry downed the first of the medicinal draughts. "No, I suppose not. But he is not the most responsible of adults, Harry; even you can see that after just a few hours of knowing him. Trust me, it doesn't improve with age," he pointed out sarcastically. "He is still essentially an immature twenty-one year-old – mentally - who has gone through some harrowing experiences in prison for the last twelve years and over the last year as a fugitive," he reminded his son.

Harry grinned at his father's wit, but sobered at the reminder of the man's past. "I know, but James named him my godfather and I really would like to get to know him." He grimaced as he downed a few more of the potion cups his father handed him. Severus gave him a long look, then reached out and ran a hand over Harry's cheek. Harry leaned into the caress, soaking in the comfort his dad offered.

"I understand, Harry, and I'll try not to come between you two. But I am your father, not him, and if I forbid you at any time to see him – I am only doing so for your own safety. I only wish I could have kept you safer yesterday! No." He raised a hand against Harry's suddenly open mouth. "No, we shall discuss yours, and your brother's disobediences later, after you are both healed. Whatever was going through your brain..." he murmured, shaking his head.

Not realising it was rhetorical question, Harry launched into an explanation. "I heard Drake screaming and I thought at first Professor Lupin had gotten him. He wasn't even supposed to still be out there; he told me they were going to release Buckbeak when it got dark and be back inside before curfew! So, I had to go!"

"Releasing Buckbeak... Draco, is that what you and Miss Lovegood were doing in the woods?" He had yet to get the full story of why the children had separated after leaving Hagrid's hut. He glanced over at his other son while measuring out one last potion for Harry.

"I couldn't let Nott and Lucius win, Dad, Buckbeak hadn't done anything wrong!" Draco protested. "And I didn't do it alone, Luna was with me. We were just going to wait until dark, well before curfew, to release him and get back to the castle."

Severus nodded; he understood his son's reasoning, not necessarily the performance. "Draco, there is a reason Dumbledore states every year that the forest is off limits, you know. While I understand the sentiment, the execution was poor. I'll be taking points off later. Besides, he had his Portkey, Harry, he could get out of trouble easily enough," he added as an aside.

A cough next to them indicated Draco was listening in. "Erm, actually Dad, I didn't."

"Didn't what?" he asked, turning in his seat to pin Draco with a glare.

"Have my Portkey. I noticed it had fallen off when we got to the glade. I had no idea where it could have been," he said sheepishly. Severus just stared at his oldest son before closing his eyes in frustration. And he still had four years to go of this before they left the school. Did all parents of teenagers feel this way? He turned back to stare at his blood-kin.

"And yours? There were several moments last night when you could have used it to gain help."

"It got lost when Sirius knocked me over outside of the Willow," he admitted. "I was going to use it then... but Ron was being taken in the tree by the dog – and well, we didn't know he was an Animagus..." Severus waved him quiet.

"As I said, we will discuss this later. When you are well enough to withstand the detentions," he intimated with a decidedly wicked grin on his face. Harry shuddered; he knew he was in trouble the moment he had run from his dad to chase after Sirius. Well, he was a Gryffindor; he would take his lumps.

Harry suddenly looked anguished as he noticed Severus getting up to leave. "Don't go yet!" he asked.

Severus scooted forward on the mattress, motioning Harry to lie down. The boy complied, well used to obeying the stern professor. Severus let a small smile lift his lips as he arranged the blanket around the boy then ran a hand again along Harry's head. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, brat."

"Then I won't fall… asleep…" Harry insisted, failing miserably in his conviction as he yawned quite loudly in the middle of his statement.

"That will be very hard to do, seeing as the last potion you took was Dreamless Sleep," Severus said, chuckling softly at Harry's glare. Draco snickered beside him, enjoying watching Severus get one over on his brother. Normally Harry knew exactly what their dad was dosing them with. "Now, close your eyes…" His suggestion, in his low hypnotic voice, worked like a charm on the boy and Harry sighed as he closed his eyes. Within two more breaths he was sound asleep. Severus leaned forward to remove the child's glasses, placing them on the nightstand. Not even caring who was in the room watching, he bent a little lower, placing a light kiss on Harry's forehead. "Sleep well, son."


	18. Chapter 18

**18.**

Severus Snape sat back in his chair in the Potions Classroom, watching as four third-year students and one second-year performed the first of several detentions they would be attending until the summer holidays began in a week's time.

They were dressed in the oldest clothes they possessed as they gutted numerous dead animals, placing the squishy, bloody innards in large vats expressly for that purpose; cleaned cauldrons of months of improperly removed potions residue leftover by firsties, and scrubbed the desks of dried, baked on Potions goo. Truly, it was a delightful afternoon. He sat back in his chair, legs propped and crossed at the ankle on the desk, a steaming pot of his favourite tea at hand, a plate of chocolate biscuits and a good book; he was set for the afternoon.

Well, what had they expected? To be congratulated for setting free a condemned Hippogriff, nearly getting their souls sucked out by Dementors or ravaged by a Werewolf without the benefit of Wolfsbane? And they hadn't even been able to capture the rat! There were days when he really regretted his son's Gryffindor tendencies – but better that than a cold-hearted killer, he supposed. Still, this did not bode well for the future.

And Lupin had disappeared.

Someone, and it hadn't been Severus – although he had been very tempted to let the news out – had let slip Lupin's condition. It had spread among the students like wildfire, and the owls had descended the next day. Albus had tried to convince the Defence expert to stay – but Remus had declined. Before the morning dew had a chance to burn off, he had boarded a carriage at the school gates and hadn't looked back. He hadn't even taken a moment to say good-bye to Harry, which was inexcusable in Severus' book.

Quick interviewing of the five students involved with that night had revealed that none of them had leaked the information, nor had any of the teachers. But the damage was done, the teacher was gone and Harry was moping around. He had finally figured out what was wrong about the man and it had actually cleared up his feelings toward him, letting him accept him as another semi-trust-worthy adult, only to be taken away a moment later. Severus only hoped Lupin would keep in contact later, but he didn't think the boy would receive many missives. His sons didn't put their trust into many people; who was he kidding – into many adults - and he didn't blame them.

He snorted to himself – to be truthful, Draco still didn't _like_ the wolf, but he accepted him on his brother's behalf; Draco just didn't like Werewolves on principle – he was like Severus in that regard.

He snuck a look at the detention crew. His sons were working together with Luna - Granger and Weasley having paired up. All seemed to be going well. He settled back, propping his book up more, and returned to his reading, ignoring the sounds of disgust being made by the students. Well, almost ignoring.

"Less complaining, more elbow grease you four; or no defence training this afternoon!"

Silence is golden.

* * *

Friday afternoon, the detention crew had finished their week-long cleaning of the Potions classroom. It was sparkling like brand new; all manner of ingredients prepared for next term to the Master's specifications, all the equipment shining and stacked, ready for use next September.

Each afternoon had seen the entire group in his training room, being worked to the edge of exhaustion learning Muggle defence techniques. Snape had decreed that if they were going to continue acting like Gryffindors, they would at least learn how to defend themselves by more than one mean. Runeskin had been pulled in to help. While his sons were pleased to take more lessons in the elf's brand of marshal arts, the other three were less than thrilled – but all of them persevered and by the end of the week had the basic forms down so they could practice over the summer on their own.

Amazingly enough it had been Luna who had surprised them all with her quick abilities to pick up the manoeuvres. She advanced quite rapidly through the forms to the astonishment of the Chief Elf. He had taken her aside that afternoon to give her some special words just for her ears. She had smiled, almost secretly, to herself, bowing to the master before skipping out of the room.

Draco had looked questioningly at the little creature.

"She is a special one," the elf had explained. "She will go far and needs the protection. I told her I would be coming to her periodically to give her more lessons this summer. Your father's orders," he elucidated.

Draco looked grateful as he towelled off before placing the weapons they'd been practicing with away in their racks. "Thank you, Runeskin, I appreciate it."

Runeskin placed his shirt back on, covering up the colourful tattoos that moved along his body. He bowed to Draco and Harry before winking out to return to the manor.

Now they were all at the leaving feast, watching the seventh-years receive their last academic awards, cheering the awarding of the house and Quidditch cups to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor and digging into their overflowing plates. Last minute owls came winging into the hall from the rafters above and Harry was surprised when a small, hyper-active owl twittered around his head. He finally caught the creature with two hands and Hermione helped him remove the parchment. She took over holding the little bird for him while he opened the letter.

"It's from my godfather!" he exclaimed. "He says he's alright, somewhere warm." He read silently a little further and gave a small laugh. "You know that second broom? Dad was right, it was from my godfather. That explains why there weren't any jinxes on it. Flitwick and McGonagall were testing it every which way from Sunday; they couldn't find a thing wrong with it."

"Whatever happened to it?" Ron asked.

"Dad sent it back to the manor – it's in the broom shed. You can use it this summer when you come over," Harry promised.

"Excellent!" Ron agreed, looking forward to trying the broom.

"What else does the letter say?" Hermione prodded.

Harry looked back down at the parchment. "Ron, this owl is for you! He says since he is responsible for you losing your familiar, that this owl is yours to keep."

Hermione handed over the owl as Crookshanks came padding into the hall, jumping up between Harry and Hermione. He leaned up against his boy, rubbing his head on Harry's arm before planting himself in his mistress' lap. Ever since it had been revealed that Harry had been Crooks original owner, the cat had been spending more time with him – although he truly considered Hermione his human this time around. Harry was amazed at what the cat had gone through and survived, and that he'd been able to recognise Peter straight off. He'd asked Professor McGonagall to talk to the Kneazle at one point over the previous week to get his full story and she had been very willing.

Crookshanks had known something was wrong with Pettigrew before he'd even been selected as the Secret Keeper. He'd known Sirius was innocent and had tried all year long to help the Animagus catch the rat without success. They had been most amazed at the revelation of the night Sirius had managed to access the tower and been shredding the curtains because that was where Wormtail was scrambling up to get away.

So, now Harry made sure to give some extra time to the special guard cat – as he called his ex-pet – and Crooks ate up the attention as his due.

Ron looked at the owl then at the orange cat. "Here," he said, holding out the owl for the Kneazle to sniff. "Is he alright to keep?" Crooks leaned forward to sniff at the terrified bird. He let out a loud purr – the owl was safe.

Ron brought the owlet back to his chest, crooning over it. "Brilliant, now I'll have to come up with a name for you..."

His sister leaned in to get a better look at the new family pet. "Looks like a pigwidgeon to me," she commented, grinning from ear to ear in amusement.

"A _what_?" her brother said, trying to decide if he should be amused or insulted. Hermione snickered across from him and he gave her an exasperated look.

"I think it's perfect, Ginny!" At Ron's still stupefied look she took pity and explained. "It means something small and insignificant; like a pixie or an imp. A long word for such a small thing..." she laughed. "I love it!"

Ginny chimed back in, "We can call him Pig for short!"

"Excellent!" Hermione agreed. The two high-fived across the table as Ron looked hopelessly at his best friend.

"Harry, mate, help me!"

Harry just raised his hands in surrender. "Too late, Ron, they've taken over! Just go with it, you know you can't win."

Pigwidgeon turned his head toward Ron and gave a little meep. Ron shook his head at him. "You've been named, I guess. Merlin, Ginny, did it have to be Pig?" The girls broke out laughing at his reaction.

* * *

Harry ripped off the head of his chocolate frog as he bit into it, relishing the flavour of the Honeydukes' Chocolate as it spread over his tongue.

"Who'd you get?" his brother asked, searching for an innocuous looking Every Flavour Bean in his large box of Bertie Bott's.

"Dunno," Harry said. He hitched his blanket up so that he could reach the Frog Box and check out the card inside. "You know, it's the middle of summer – you'd think Dad would find someway to keep the dungeons a bit warmer during this season," he complained.

"Of course he could just be waiting and giving us the perfect excuse to read ahead in our books for a warming charm," his brother suggested. The two looked at each for a stunned second then shook their heads.

"Nah, I think he does it on purpose for the potions ingredients. Oh, look – Morgause! I almost have the full Merlin collection now – just need Bevedere!" Harry crowed, tossing the card to land on his nightstand.

It was midnight on Saturday, all of the other children had left that afternoon for summer break and Harry and Draco were left alone with an entire castle to explore for two weeks until they could leave for Prince Manor. They had explored – for all of one hour – and then they had gotten their brooms and taken off for the pitch where they'd played one-on-one Quidditch until Hagrid had come out and called them down for dinner.

Now they were in their room, on the rugs between their beds, going through their stash of sweets and reminiscing on the past year.

"Hey, did they ever figure out who snitched on Professor Lupin?" Draco asked after spitting out a vomit flavoured bean.

Harry frowned, he was still upset that the professor hadn't even said farewell before leaving. "No, my suspicion is Nott – or Nott via Malfoy; the governors had to know he was a Werewolf when they hired him, and since Buckbeak and Sirius escaped, they needed a scapegoat," Harry theorized.

"Makes sense," Draco shrugged. "One of these days I'm going to bring Nott down..."

"I'll join you. How's your ear feel?"

"Weird, but alright – yours?"

"Same." Harry reached up to twirl the cabochon cut emerald in his left earlobe. Severus had decided that the earrings were better suited as Portkeys for the boys than necklaces that could get easily lost. These were small emeralds permanently set in their ear lobes. Severus had charmed them to react to a password code that could be said or thought, and warded them so that they could not be removed by any means, magical or mundane.

He had eventually found the other two necklaces, after a quick _Accio_ had procured them. As both boys had learned that charm over the previous year – at Severus' insistence to Flitwick that it needed to be added during the third year rather than fifth – they had gotten an earful over forgetting to use it in the heat of the moment, and about panicking in general. They knew they were going to be in for a long summer of training.

"I heard from Sirius yesterday at Dinner," Harry commented. "He says he's someplace warm, that he was the one who gave me the Firebolt and that the owl that delivered the message was a gift to Ron. Guess what its name is."

"What?"

"Pigwidgeon! But he'll only answer to Pig." Draco laughed quietly; they didn't want to alert their father. "We tested it out in the dorm last night. Ginny named him, and Ron was pissed! But it stuck – the silly thing will only come when you call for Pig. Fits him though, he's this flighty little thing, no bigger than your fist."

Draco laughed louder at the sight that provoked and Harry shushed him. "Keep it down; my silencing charms aren't foolproof yet... Bugger!"

Draco fell over laughing when Severus flowed into the room to stand at the end of the beds, glaring down at them.

"I distinctly remember telling both of you that you were to go to bed two hours ago!"

"Dad, its break..." Harry protested.

"Yes, and you have two weeks to get your summer homework completed before we leave."

"Completed!" the two Snape boys complained.

"If you wish to go to the World Cup competition with the Weasleys, yes."

The two stared at each other for a beat before jumping up, tossing their uneaten sweets into their nightstand drawers, and scrambling under the covers, pulling them up over their shoulders.

"Night, Dad," Harry said.

"Yeah, goodnight, Dad," chimed in Draco. "Erm, could you get the light, please?"

"And warm it up a bit?" Harry asked in turn, shivering under his blanket.

Severus chuckled as he went to tuck both boys in, wave off the light and set the ambient temperature of the room a little warmer. Harry let out a comfortable sigh as he relaxed in the extra warmth.

"You two are so predictable," he said, laying a kiss first on Draco's head and then on Harry's. "I'll see you in the morning."

Fin

* * *

**A/N: So that's the end of Duty - has it been enough of a ride for you? I hope so. I'm sure there will be more later - but for now I need to take a break. Les Dowich and I are embarking on a new project that will take awhile. If a plot bunny bites me in the ass in the meantime - I'll play with it. I am also going to work on the prompts my 100th reviewers sent in, so look for those tidbits before the end of the year. **


	19. Chapter 19

New Story: Honour has been added as the sequel to Vows and Duty. Chapter one is now loaded. Please read, enjoy, and if you like, please leave a review.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Addendum: Vows IV: Courage has had its first chapter published. This is the fourth instalment for this series. **

**Zara**


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